Hatsukoi Elegy
by nanachan87
Summary: Sasuke is a ninja with a task of finding his Fox Lord. He has to go undercover as a high school student in Konoha Gakuen. There, he met the annoying Naruto Namikaze. But is there something more that meet the eyes? Yaoi. Narusasu pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my second fanfic and I'm basing this story on a yaoi manga called "Hatsukoi Elegy." I made the same title as the manga. I hope you guyz like it!!**

**Disclaimer: I am very sorry to inform you that I don't own Naruto casts and the plots coz I can't really think of any good plots at the moment (T.T)**

_Thoughts_

"Conversation"

* * *

**Since the moment of my birth, my fate has been determined.**

**Since the moment I laid my eyes on you, I had decided you are mine.**

A middle-aged man came into a dark room, where a young man who resembled him kneeled and awaited for orders.

"You mission is to find the next Fox Lord, the eldest son of the chief of the Uzumaki tribe, and to protect him at any cost. He shall be** YOUR** Fox Lord. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." _Fox Lord. My Fox Lord._

* * *

It was early in the morning in Konoha town, birds chirping and the weather looks fine. A fifteen-year-old boy walked along the hall of Konoha Gakuen, apparently heading towards his class. He has short dark hair, chicken-butt style, dark piercing eyes and pale skin. Suddenly, he heard someone called him from behind.

"Sasuke." The boy, Sasuke halted his movement and turned around to greet his teacher. Sasuke is a new student at Konoha Gakuen. He just arrived in Konoha last week. This is his third day at school.

"Good morning, Iruka sensei." Iruka-sensei smiled.

"Are you adjusting fine here?" He asked as they resumed walking.

"It must be hard for you to transfer here in the middle of the term because of your father's job. However, staying close with family is the most important thing, right?"

"Yes, it is. Except I hardly see them around because they are busy with their work. It's almost as if I live alone."

"Aaa…Don't worry. If you feel you need to talk to someone, you are always welcome to talk to me."

"Thank you very much for the offer, Sensei." Sasuke smiled again.

"Well, Naruto is the class representative. So if you have any problem in the class, you can ask him, I am sure he will help you the best he can."

_What if HE is the problem, Sensei?_ Sasuke thought as he continued to smile.

"Thank you, Sensei. I'll keep that in mind." After they arrived, Sasuke said goodbye to Iruka sensei and entered the class.

_I was assigned to attend this school as a student in order to find my Fox Lord. This is my cover. I am indeed living alone. My last given instruction was "**everything will be clear once you find him." **_

As soon as he entered the classroom, he saw the most annoying creature, Naruto Namikaze, sitting in front of his seat, looking at him. Naruto Namikaze has blond hair, blue eyes, tan skin, and three whisker marks on each side of his cheeks. He also wears a pair of glasses that make him look slightly intelligent and kinda cute. Not that Sasuke would admit it.

"Good morning, Sasuke." Naruto's childish voice made Sasuke cringe his ears.

"Hn." Naruto continued staring at Sasuke with the goofy smile of his. Annoyed, Sasuke scowled.

"What are you looking at, dobe?"

"You are as beautiful as usual, Sasuke." Naruto grinned wider.

"Hn. You are as annoying as usual, dobe." Sasuke glared his infamous Uchiha glare.

"Aww…Sasuke, so cruel. Hahahahaha…" Naruto just laughed it off, as usual. He is immuned to the glare because he is used to it.

_Stupid dobe. He always greets me like this every morning since the first day I came to this school. I've only been here for like three days and he managed to get under my skin. My glare did not seem to have any effect on him. Hn. Maybe I have to go back and train more._

"Ne, ne, are you free after school? I can show you around since you are new to Konoha. There are lots of places we can go, as a couple of course." Naruto asked with the smile still in his face.

"Get lost, dobe." Seriously, I can't search thoroughly for my Fox Lord if he continued to bug me like this.

Suddenly the sound of laughter came from none other than Inuzuka Kiba, one of Naruto's best friends. Nara Shikamaru stood right behind him, with a bored look on his face.

"Ha ha ha. Naruto, you got dumped again by the ice princess."

"Troublesome. You should not plaster him like that, Naruto. Seriously, you sound so desperate." Shikamaru a.k.a Shika yawned.

"Shut it, Kiba. Who got dumped again? Hmmph…" Naruto turned around and pouted.

Sasuke just looked at the entire conversation with a somewhat bored look because he faced this every morning. This became some kind of morning routine for him.

_He sure is popular._ Sasuke thought as he watched most of his classmates greeted Naruto a good morning and tried to start a conversation with him. _Hn, I wish he just leave me alone._

Ignoring his classmates and Naruto, he settled to place his bag inside the drawer under his desk. As soon as he did that, he found a note under the desk. What's disturbing him is the words written, **It is impossible**.

_Hn. Is this a warning to me? Some kind of prank? Or someone got the wrong desk?_ Sasuke thought of all the possibilities that came to his mind. He recalled his father's order to protect the Fox Lord at all cost.

_Hn._ _Whoever it is will regret this. No one messes with an Uchiha._

He scanned around the class to see if there is someone suspicious. _No matter what, I have to find the Fox Lord ASAP._ He crumbled the paper with a determined look on his face. The bell rang, signalling the beginning of first period. The day went on uneventful.

* * *

When the last lesson of the day by Ibiki sensei ended, Naruto was asked to take two stacks of the assignment papers to the teacher's office. Sasuke watched as Naruto started to mumble about how heavy it was and how it was going to drop if he tried to take it by himself.

Pissed, Sasuke stood up abruptly and said, "Can't you just ask for help?"

_Gotcha._ Naruto smiled 'sweetly' and said, "Thank you for the offer, Sasuke. How kind of you." Sasuke scowled.

"Who said that I'm going to help you, dobe?"

"Teme. Come on, just this once. And stop calling me a dobe. I'm pretty smart, you know." Naruto boasted. Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

Somehow, he managed to convince Sasuke to help him carry half of the papers. As they walked down the corridor towards the teacher's office, Naruto explained where each room is and where they are located.

"I am the Vice President of the Student Council. You can come and play sometimes, Sasuke." Naruto said as they passed the Student Council room.

"Hn, if you are the VP then this school is doomed, dobe."

"Why you, teme! Sorry to disappoint you but I am very competent at my job in the Student Council. Anyway, the president is a nice guy so he won't mind."

Sasuke noticed that Naruto was greeted by almost everyone as they walked down the corridor. From junior to senior, even some of them offered to help Naruto carry the papers. Sasuke felt a little bit of tingling inside him but he ignored it as he never had it before so he thought it might be something from lunch he had today.

_Tch. Does the whole school know him? What is it about him that everyone seems to be fascinated by him? Hn._

"Watch your step, Sasuke." As soon as Naruto said this, he somehow tripped himself over the steps and all the papers scattered around the corridor.

_What a klutz. Usuratonkachi._ Sasuke sweatdropped (Yes, he actually did this hohohoho) as he watched Naruto picked up all the papers. He made no move to help.

Finally, they reached the office and put the papers on Ibiki sensei's desk.

"Thanks, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"We can walk through the courtyard on our way back. You haven't seen it yet, have you?"

"Hn."

"The weather is nice today, ne, Sasuke? You know, this feels like a date with you, Sasuke. I feel so happy…bla…bla…bla…" Naruto continued to rattle on and on while Sasuke tuned him out and scanned around the area to see if there's anyone suspicious. He somehow felt a little bit uneasy after he received the notes this morning.

Suddenly a pot fell down and almost hit Naruto if it's not for Sasuke's fast reflex. He immediately looked up to see if there's someone on the roof. He didn't manage to spot anything, though.

"Woa! That was close! Where did it come from?" Naruto was surprised. He felt his knees grew weak and lost its strength. He stumbled down and fell on his knees.

_Who did this? An attack to him or to me? Or just a freaking accident?_ Sasuke looked for someone or something suspicious. He was jolted from his focus when Naruto shouted because he injured his fingers by touching the broken pot.

"Baka!" He didn't know why, but somehow, the thought of Naruto nearly injured made his chest tightened.

Sasuke then remembered the only clue his father gave to help him find the Fox Lord. It is the red jade he is wearing, the Dark Blue Hook. The next Fox Lord bears the same jade, except for the colour. The Fox Lord has a Light Blue Hook.

_Just now, I can sense the presence of the hook. Where are you, my Fox Lord?_

**The Next Day**

_RING._

"Alright, everyone. Enjoy your weekends and don't forget to finish the homework I gave you." Kakashi sensei, the math teacher, said as he ignored the groans from the students.

As the lessons ended, Naruto quickly dashed out of the room, ignoring Sasuke. Sasuke watched from his desk. The whole day, Naruto did not plaster Sasuke as usual. He somehow managed to distract himself from Sasuke by helping his other classmates on their homeworks.

_How rare. He does not stick to me as usual. Maybe yesterday's event somehow got into him._ He got up and prepared to leave when Shika called him.

"Sasuke, Naruto asked you to meet him at the rooftop. Tch. Troublesome." Shika yawned and walked out of the classroom.

"Hn." After he left, Sasuke to ponder about Naruto's intention. He was on his way to the rooftop when he noticed another notes on the wall, pierced by a kunai. It has the same content as the first note. Sasuke was surprised and immediately stayed alert, not that he was not alert all the time. But, this made him more alert than usual.

_Who the hell did this? How did they know I will be heading here? Only Shika, Naruto and maybe Kiba knew I was coming this way. Could it be? Well, since this morning, Naruto has been acting strange. He looked like he got something to say, but every time he approached me and opened his mouth; he suddenly smiled sheepishly and said it's nothing. Hmm, maybe I'm reading into this too much._

Sasuke arrived at the rooftop and saw Naruto standing near the fence, head looking at the sky.

"Ah, Sasuke! I'm glad you came. I thought you are going to ignore me again. Hehehehe…"

"What do you want, dobe?"

"Stop calling me dobe, teme! Anyway, I think you already know what I wanted to say." Naruto smirked and clapped his hands together.

_Is he going to cast a spell?_ Sasuke prepared for the attack…that never came.

"Please go out with me!" Naruto said as he kneeled down and put both his hands in the air.

This, of course, caught Sasuke off-guard. Naruto waited and waited for a response.

"What kind of ninja spell is that?" Well, **that** was not the kind of response Naruto would expect.

"Huh? Ninja spell? What the hell are you talking about, teme?" Naruto looked confused. "Well, you don't have to answer it straight away, I mean, if you need to think about it and all…" Naruto didn't have the chance to finish his sentence because Sasuke cut in.

"Sorry. Impossible. Can't go out with you. Don't even **THINK** about it." Sasuke curtly replied.

_Well, that kinda sucks_. Naruto thought as each word feels like a stab directly towards his heart. _But I'm not gonna give up. I'm not Naruto Namikaze for nothing._

"Please, Sasuke." He crawled over towards Sasuke with a pout and big blue puppy-eyes. "Men couple can still adopt children together. Just think about it first, please."

"Hn. The answer is still no. Now, get off me." Sasuke tried to pry off Naruto when suddenly, two shurinkens were thrown at him. He managed to dodge it, grabbing Naruto along as he jumped. He looked up to see a masked man.

_They wanted to risk involving an outsider? Or maybe Naruto is part of them? _

"As much as I appreciate the closeness, teme, it hurts." Sasuke turned his focus on Naruto and noticed that he had his hands on Naruto's hair.

"Hn."

Naruto rubbed his abused hair and then he noticed the shurinkens.

"What happened? Woa?! Are those real? Are they ninjas? Are you a ninja too?" Naruto began shooting questions at Sasuke.

"Shut up, dobe. You are giving me headache. To answer your question, yes, I am a ninja and I came here to look for someone and to protect him. So, I can't go out with you or anyone else. Not that I wanted to even if this person does not exist." Naruto looked stunned and he could not say anything. "If you laugh, dobe, I won't hestitate to kill you."

"Eh!! Don't be so cruel, teme. I will never laugh at you. Wow, so you really are a ninja, huh? That's kinda cool. Can you transfigure? Can you show me any of your techniques?" Naruto tried to lighten the mood as he looked for some kind of good reaction from Sasuke. This didn't happen though as Sasuke advanced towards him with a kunai on his hands and looked like he was ready to strike. Naruto backed down until he can feel the fence on his back.

"My identity and my mission are top secret. You know too much and you look suspicious. Are you tagging me?" As soon as he said this, Sasuke tried to cut through Naruto, however, Naruto managed to dodge the attack. But, as a result, his shirt was torn into two, revealing his chest.

Sasuke prepared to strike again when something around Naruto's neck caught Sasuke's attention and made him halted his attack. It was the Light Blue Hook that his Fox Lord was supposed to have.

_Impossible. Is he really the Fox Lord? No way._

"Where did you get that?"

"Get what? Oh, this," Naruto hold the hook up, "My granny pick it up by the riverside. Pretty, huh? I love it coz it matches the colour of my eyes. I have to fight for it though. Stupid baa-chan won't give it to me even though I have begged in every way possible." Naruto mumbled.

_Pick it up? Then, where's the Fox Lord? Tch. I need to maintain secrecy if I want to continue my search. Well, it seemed that I need to erase the dobe's memory of today. Hn. I need him alive, after all. Who knows, maybe he knows something about the Fox Lord. Oh, how I hope he IS NOT the Fox Lord._

Naruto looked at Sasuke curiously, wondering what he was thinking about, before he suddenly felt sleepy. Before he closed his eyes, he noted that Sasuke's eyes had turned red, with three black dots. Sasuke has used his Sharingan, a technique only an Uchiha has, to hypnotize Naruto so he forgot everything that happened today. Then, he just left Naruto sitting on the rooftop and went home.

* * *

**At the rooftop after Sasuke left**

Naruto opened his eyes and stretched. He sighed as Kiba and Shika approached him.

"Sasuke is so uptight. Damn."

"Naruto-dono (1). Are you hurt?" Shika asked, actually look a little bit concerned.

"Nah, I'm fine, Shika. Sasuke saved me, although he could do it more gently. My hair still hurts because of his grip. Damn, he sure has a strong grip for such a skinny guy. And you, Shika? You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little flesh wound."

"Hmm...As expected from the Uchiha prodigy. In one strike, he managed to protect me and to counterattack. Impressive. Yet, I seemed to make a mistake to let him see this." Naruto motioned his eyes to the necklace.

"Won't it be easier to just tell him, dono?" Kiba asked.

"No, it will be meaningless. I want him to fall in love with me for me, not just the Fox Lord." Naruto smirked.

"Tch, troublesome." Shika yawned and immediately fell asleep. Kiba and Naruto looked at each other and sweatdropped.

"You wrote 'it is impossible' on the note. What does it mean?" Kiba waited for the answer curiously.

"Oh, that. It means that 'it is impossible to resist my charm.' Hahahaha…"

"I should have guessed." Kiba snickered.

Naruto never acted like a Lord to both Shikamaru and Kiba. So, they often joked around like friends. That's why Shikamaru and Kiba are so faithful to Naruto and will go with whatever ideas he came up with, including this.

"Oh, damn!" Naruto suddenly remembered something and pouted.

"What's wrong?" Kiba asked.

"I have to forget about my confession, **every single word**."

"It's probably for the best. Who the hell confess on his knees and crawled anyway, hahahaha..." Kiba laughed out loud while Naruto continued to sulk because his confession was a failure. Shikamaru just continued to take his nap. It is amazing that he can sleep through all the noise.

-TBC-

* * *

(1) Dono Lord in Japanese. But I don't know if I spelled it right though. Forgive me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, review please!! I hope this story is interesting enough. I really like the manga. It is so cute. If you don't like the story then I won't be able to continue. ()


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Naruto casts below, sadly…(T,T)**

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews () I'm so happy for all the supports. **

Before I started, I just want to say something; **Konoha Gakuen is an all-boy school** so there will be no female characters in the fic. I'm sorry for those who wanted some females in the story.

Anyway, let's move on with the fic…

_Thoughts_

"Conversation"

* * *

_My utmost mission is to find the next Fox Lord, Chief of the Uzumaki tribe which we, the Uchiha, serve. Every chief of the Uzumaki tribe is able to awaken the power of Kyuubi, the nine-tail demon fox. That's why they are called the Fox Lord. When the chief reached the age of seventeen, they are able to fully awaken and control the power. _

Sasuke once again looked at the Blue Hook he possessed, wondering about what happened this afternoon at school. He felt confused and somewhat cheated on because his father did not give him the right information about the Fox Lord.

_The next Fox Lord should bear the same jade as mine. But, why does Naruto own the jade? I don't think he is the Fox Lord. He just does not strike me as one._ With that thought, he became more confused so he decided to go to sleep.

As morning came, Sasuke did everything on autopilot. The attack from yesterday still disturbed him and he could not figure anything out yet. As he arrived at school and was just about to walk towards his shoes locker, he was presented with a close-up of Naruto's face and his sunny smile.

"SASUKE! Good morning," Naruto practically beamed and shouted in front of Sasuke.

"Hn." Naruto just grinned at the lack of reply. The current pick-upper of the jade then began his morning ramble while Sasuke tuned him out most of the time, thinking about the Fox Lord and all information that he has been given about him. They went to their lockers and took out their shoes and changed it with other shoes (1).

"Hey, teme, why didn't you come to the rooftop yesterday? You know, I waited for so long but you didn't show up." Naruto said while he was taking off his shoes.

_So, he doesn't remember._ Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and said, "Hn. Dobe, I was there. You were sleeping." Sasuke has finished changing his shoes and moved to close his locker door.

"Teme, you could have woken me up." Naruto pouted as he also finished changing and closing the locker. Sasuke, who can't take anymore of Naruto in the morning, decided to ditch him.

"Ah!" Sasuke pointed something behind Naruto.

"Huh? What is it?" Naruto turned around and spotted nothing. Then he turned back again to find Sasuke gone.

"Sasuke? Oi, where are you, teme? SASUKE! YOU BASTARD! NOW YOU DITCH ME AGAIN!" Naruto began shouting for Sasuke, without knowing that Sasuke hid behind the hall next to the locker. Luckily, Naruto was stupid enough to not look in there. Sasuke sighed as he managed to get rid of Naruto.

_Geez. He can be so loud in the morning. I wonder where all his energy comes from. Hn, I have no time for him. I need to find my Fox Lord. I remembered my meeting with the current Fox Lord, although it happened only once. It was when I was little. I recalled that the moment I saw him, I immediately knew he was the Fox Lord. The most impressive image of him was his long, dark hair flowing in the wind with Sakura petals. I can't seem to forget that. _

Sasuke was lost in his own thought when he noticed someone with long, dark hair walked pass him. He immediately came to his sense and grabbed the said person's hand before he realized what he was doing. The stranger was surprised but he immediately calmed down and waited for Sasuke to speak.

"Ah. I'm sorry." Sasuke let go of the stranger's hand and surprised himself by apologizing to a mere stranger. He never did this before. He is only polite to those who are older and worthy of respect. Sasuke blushed at the close proximity between him and the stranger because of his own action. _Uchihas do not do blushing_. _Calm yourself down Sasuke_. As he calmed down and took a closer look, he noticed that the stranger has pale white eyes and pale skin. He is also taller.

"It's okay. No need to apologise. Ah, where is your necktie?" The person asked, pointing to his own necktie.

"Oh, I seemed to have lost it." Sasuke was still awestruck by the stranger and answered what came first into his mind (I know, a little OOC of him).

"If any sensei sees you like this, you'll be in trouble. Please, come with me." The stranger said as he led Sasuke away by holding his wrist. Sasuke quietly followed without any questions. They went inside the Student Council office. The stranger went to one of the desk, pulled something out of the drawer and handed Sasuke a new necktie.

"Here, put this on, Sasuke. Luckily we stock up neckties just in case something like this happens."

Startled, Sasuke began to feel suspicious. "How do you know my name?"

"Aa. I'm sorry if I have frightened you. There aren't many students that transferred in mid-term so I remember. Hope you don't mind."

"Oh, not at all. Are you by any chance, the president of the Student Council?"

"Yes, I am. My name is Hyuuga Neji and I am a 3rd year student. Nice to meet you, Uchiha Sasuke." Neji smiled.

* * *

**In the class**

"How embarrassing." Kiba snickered.

"Where's your dignity?" Shika looked amused.

"Though we are supposed to forget it…" Kiba snickered again.

"How can anyone confess on his knees?" Shika and Kiba said at the same time. Apparently, both of them could not hold themselves to tease Naruto about it.

"Shuddup." Naruto pouted and turned away from his so-called bodyguards.

"So what? I was distracting him from the thoughts of Fox Lord regardless any means." Naruto sighed as he moved to sit on the table.

"Including getting on your knees and crawling?" Kiba tried hard not to laugh. Shika, feeling tired from the whole teasing thing, yawned and laid his head on the table, using both his hands as pillow.

"Tch. Troublesome." A vein popped on Naruto's forehead. Before he could say anything, the door of the classroom opened to reveal Sasuke.

"Ah, Sasuke teme! Where did you go? Did you know I search for you in the entire school? You got me worried sick." Naruto began his daily plastering of Sasuke. Instead of answering, Sasuke just gave him cold stare and moved towards his own seat. Kiba and Shika, who surprisingly opened his eyes again, watched the interaction from afar.

"I thought he was going to approach Sasuke in a more calculated, strategic method." Kiba commented as he continued to watch Naruto getting ignored by Sasuke.

"I think he's totally smitten. Troublesome." After he said that, Shika immediately fell asleep, leaving Kiba alone to watch Naruto and Sasuke with amusement.

* * *

**RING.**

"Teme! I have a student council meeting today. How about coming over and play?" Naruto said as he wagged his tail, puppy-dog eyes in place, with a hopeful looks on his face.

"Hey, Shika. Wake up! You don't want to miss this. The cold rejection from the ice princess is beginning." Kiba tried to wake Shika up while his eyes still focused on Naruto and Sasuke. He tried to stifle his laughter at the scene.

Surprisingly, Sasuke agreed. Kiba and Shika, finally awake, looked shocked. Naruto was so happy that he did not notice the shock look from his subordinates and he began trailing after Sasuke like a puppy as they headed towards the Student Council office.

* * *

**In the office**

"What would you like to drink, Sasuke?" Naruto was busy preparing drinks for Sasuke. He looked so happy because he had his goofy smile the whole time he was preparing the drink. Sasuke did not answer. Instead, he looked at Kiba and Shikamaru.

"What are you two doing here?" Sasuke felt suspicious because he was in the room with the three suspects of yesterday's attack.

"We are the secretaries." Kiba replied while Shika continued his nap on the sofa.

Sasuke sweatdropped at the scene. _How the hell did he manage to become a secretary with that lazy attitude is beyond my understanding._

"Is Neji senpai here?" Naruto asked as he poured the coffee to the cups.

"Yeah, he's at the back." Kiba replied.

"Ah, that means I need to pour another mug for him." As Naruto began to do that, Neji entered the room gracefully and greeted everyone.

"It seems that you are all here. Good, we can start the meeting in a minute." Neji said and then he noticed an additional member in the usual group.

"Oh? Sasuke is here?"

"Hi." Sasuke answered with a timid voice and expression. This made others jaws dropped. _Who knows Sasuke can make such expression?_

"You two met?" Kiba purposely asked as he noticed the change in his dono's expression.

"Yes. I approached him this morning." Neji answered.

"No, it was me who approached you." Sasuke said with embarrassment.

Naruto at first looked stunned at the interaction, and then he became annoyed and jealous. Kiba, who knew that his dono can change mood in thirty seconds, tried hard to suppress his laughter and continued to question Neji and Sasuke just to annoy Naruto. Shika who watched the whole interaction from afar, offered to make the coffee.

"**No, I will make the damn coffee**." Naruto said with gritted teeth.

Neji glanced at Naruto and smirked inwardly. He loved to annoy Naruto with a reason that shall be revealed later. Then an idea popped into his mind.

"Ah, Sasuke, your necktie is crooked. Let me help." He then began to adjust Sasuke's necktie and made sure that Naruto watched this.

"Thank you very much." Sasuke still looked shy and blushed at the close proximity. This made Naruto pouted and fumed.

"For what?" Neji put his most gorgeous smile on. _Neji charm 100 percent success_. Sasuke blushed more.

"COFFEE COMING!" Naruto shouted and slammed the mug in between Neji and Sasuke, using his hands to separate the two. He then glared at Neji, who pretended that nothing happened and proceeded to drink his coffee.

Sasuke sniffed at the coffee. He never had one before because in the ninja village, there's no coffee. So, he felt suspicious at the liquid. _Dark, thick and strong-smelling. Suspicious._

"Wait, Neji senpai. This looks suspicious. Let me test it for poison." Sasuke looked so serious.

"I DID NOT POISON IT! YOU SAW ME MAKING IT!!" Naruto's annoyance increased ten-fold.

"Ah, thank you for the offer but there's no need for that. Is this your first time drinking coffee?"

"Yeah."

"Add some sugar and cream, then try it." Sasuke did what was told.

"Is it better?"

"Yes. Thank you for the lesson, senpai." Sasuke looked somewhat amazed and happy. They began chatting among themselves, leaving Naruto feeling angry and annoyed. Kiba patted Naruto's head to cheer him up. Naruto just dropped his head on the table with unreadable expression on his face.

* * *

**On the way home**

"Well, you and Neji-senpai seem to really hit it off." Naruto said sarcastically.

"Hn." Sasuke ignored the tone.

"Is he your type?" Kiba asked. Sasuke looked thoughtful before answering.

"I guess. What I really like is his hair." Their jaws dropped at the answer. "HAIR?"

"Didn't you see? Such gorgeous tresses, shiny and black, oh, such beauty…" Sasuke looked mesmerised. Others just looked bewildered.

"He reminds me of an important person." Sasuke said with admiration look on his face. This statement made Naruto a little bit sad.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Sasuke then headed towards his home.

"I never know that the ice princess is a brunet-complex." Kiba said as he watched Sasuke disappeared around the corner.

"It's more like a long-hair fetish. Tch. Troublesome…What's wrong, dono?" Shika noticed the sad look on Naruto's face.

"Argh! If he's really fallen for senpai, there's nothing I can do. But he's fallen for the SIMILARITIES. He's attracted to someone who **resembles** the Fox Lord. I want him to be free from the Uzumaki propagandas. I want him to enjoy life outside the village." Naruto looked sad and angry at the same time.

"Naruto-dono…" Kiba hugged him while Shika stood near them.

"This will take time. Let it happen gradually." Naruto just nodded and the three of them went home.

* * *

**With Sasuke**

_Hn, I just realize that today's kinda peaceful compared to yesterday's fiasco. I still could not get any clue of the Fox Lord. Neji-senpai is a possibility. But, I need to be really sure before I reveal anything._

* * *

**Back to the trio's residence**

"Should we tell him?" Kiba looked amused as he was holding a hair-colouring product. Shika, for once, also looked amused at the stupidity of his dono. He then decided to inform his dono about it.

"Naruto dono. Sorry to disappoint you, but that is for bleaching hair."

"WHAT?! Wrong bottle? Why you didn't tell me before?!" Naruto was dyeing his blond hair halfway through when Shikamaru told him. Both Shika and Kiba snickered as Naruto pouted and tried to redye his hair into the original colour again. All the way through cursing his subordinates for not letting him know beforehand.

Ah, that is how another peaceful day in Konoha ends.

* * *

(1) Japanese high school has this rule where the students have to change the shoes they wear from home to shoes provided to wear inside the school. I don't know the reason so don't ask me why.

Ah…I finally finished the second chapter? How was it? **Please review!!** Should I improve more? Sorry, **Gaara** hasn't appeared yet. But, I promised he will show up as soon as I know where to put him hehehehe…()


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimers: None of the characters below belongs to me.**

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry it took so long, I was addicted to Queer As Folks drama recently so these few days I've been watching it ;P…GALE HAROLD IS SOOO HOTTT!! **

**Anyways, on with the fic…**

_Thoughts_

"Conversation"

* * *

_400 years passed since we, the Uchiha clan, was rescued by the Uzumaki clan during the ninja war. As a repayment, we have sworn to protect the Uzumaki clan since then._

* * *

Sasuke halted his movement when he reached the front of his classroom. He heard chattering inside. He sighed. He knew what the noise was all about. Cultural festival is coming in two weeks time. Every class is required to participate. Yesterday, his class decided that they would be doing a cross-dressing café. However, they hadn't decided who would be doing what. So, he assumed that the noise he heard inside was them discussing the tasks.

As soon as he opened the door, the chattering stopped. Everyone was staring at him. Sasuke, as usual, ignored the stare and headed to his seat. Sai, one of his classmates, approached him and greeted him with the usual fake smile that annoyed him.

"Good morning, Sasuke."

"Hn." No reaction.

"Everyone has decided that you will be the waitress." He looked to see Sasuke's eyes widened. _Now that is a reaction._ Sai thought.

"What!!" Sasuke looked somewhat pissed because they decided that without asking his opinion first.

"You just transferred here recently so we put you in the same team as Naruto."

"Team? I don't want to be in the same team as the dobe. Hell, I don't even want to participate." Sasuke looked annoyed.

"No choice. Everyone is required to participate. Besides, his team consists of all the good-looking people in this class. You should consider yourself lucky." Just as Sai finished his sentence, the first lesson teacher walked in and asked them to sit down.

Sasuke didn't know how to react. He really did not feel like being in the same team as the dobe. He sighed for the second time this day.

* * *

**At the Student Council office**

"Oh? Your class is doing a cross-dressing café?" Neji walked into the Student Council office, gracefully flipping his long dark hair. Sasuke thought he saw Neji sparkled, he rubbed his eyes and blinked. _It must be just my imagination._

"Cross-dressing INCLUDED café." Shika said, for once did not fall asleep once he was inside the office. He merely lazed around the sofa.

"Yeah. We are the waiters." Kiba said enthusiastically. He loved festivals.

"So I take it that Sasuke will be the waitress." Neji looked amused.

Sasuke did not say a word. He looked embarrassed, actually.

"The whole class was surprised. Hell, even I was surprised." Kiba continued.

"Yeah, me too. Come to think about it, Sasuke did not have any chance to reject the offer because the teacher came in right after Sai talked about it." Shika said.

"And not just Sasuke, but I heard that Naruto too will be the waitress." Neji provided, prying for more information.

"Huh? What about me?" Naruto, who was reading a book up until now, shifted his gaze towards the occupants in the room. He pretended to look innocent.

"He's taking advantage of the situation." Shika looked at Naruto when he said that.

"I bet he can't wait to see Sasuke in girly clothes, too." Kiba smiled knowingly.

Naruto, for once, looked serious. He closed the book that he's reading and put both his hands under his chin, looking thoughtful.

"Chances are, **certain** animal might lose his control upon seeing Sasuke in girly clothes. I must protect him. Furthermore…" Naruto paused for effect. "If I want to see Sasuke dressed in girly clothes, I shall join him as a waitress!! Are you listening to me!!" Naruto was annoyed because nobody seemed to listen to his **incredible** logic. He looked around and saw Shika already slept soundly. Kiba was doing who knows what and Sasuke was talking to Neji.

"Oh, someone asked me to deliver this letter to any Student Council members." Sasuke handed the letter to Neji.

Neji frowned upon reading the letter and put it down on the table. "Don't tell me…" Kiba said and groaned.

"Look." Neji motioned Naruto and Shikamaru to take a look at the same letter that has been bugging them for the past few weeks.

Sasuke curiously took the letter and read it. It said: **CANCEL THE CULTURAL FESTIVAL OR YOU WILL BE SORRY!!**

"How many letters now?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know. I stopped counting." Kiba replied.

"It's probably nothing." Neji tried to calm everyone down.

"What if it's dangerous?" Naruto said. Shika did not utter a single word. He just yawned as if nothing happened. Sasuke looked thoughtful. Neji noticed this and tried to cheer him up in his own way.

"Don't look like that, Sasuke. It's only a prank. Don't worry yourself."

"If…If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know." _No matter what, I must protect Neji senpai._ Sasuke looked determined that Neji couldn't say no.

"Thank you, Sasuke." Naruto heard the conversation between Neji and Sasuke and couldn't help but feel jealous that Sasuke didn't offer anything to him. So, he sulked. Kiba snickered in the background. All in all, that ended the discussion regarding the matter and everyone prepared to go home.

* * *

**On the way home with the trio**

"I couldn't believe he looked so concerned over the matter. Where's the ice princess that I knew?" Kiba said, waiting for a reaction from his dono.

"Ninja don't smile." Naruto grumbled. "Ninja do not betray their emotions on the faces!!"

"Really?" Shika and Kiba said at the same time.

"But he didn't realize he has changed." Shika informed them. "He couldn't hide it. It's a new feeling for him. He doesn't know how to hide it."

Naruto looked serious when he heard Shikamaru's analysis because he is confident of its accuracy. He was glad that Sasuke has changed but he was still concerned by the fact that he still hasn't recognized the feelings.

"It's a feeling called love," Shikamaru said further, but before he could continue, Naruto cut him off.

"Shuddup!" Naruto looked irritated and the jealousy is back.

"L.O.V.E." Kiba spelled it out just to irritate Naruto further.

"Stop or I'll get MAD!!" Naruto covered his ears. Kiba laughed out loud. Shika just sighed on Kiba and Naruto's antics.

"You ARE already MAD." Shika muttered but he said nothing else as Naruto seemed to hear him and glared dagger at him.

None of them seemed to notice four pair of eyes watching them behind the bushes. They are none other than the vice president and secretary of Suna Gakuen's Student Council, Kankurou and Sasori.

"Hahaha…Fighting among themselves, I see. This is excellent!" Kankurou proclaimed with one hand up in the air, both his hands holding two branches of his so-called camouflage. Sasori, on the other hand, looked bored with his president's antics, but he was also holding a branch as his camouflage.

"Kankurou, stop this nonsense. We should not be doing this." Kankurou ignored this and said dramatically.

"I hate Konoha Gakuen, especially Hyuuga Neji and Namikaze Naruto. They have hurt my little brother and now they are going to pay for it. Besides, I'm also acting on behalf of our school. Their cultural festival is held on the same day as ours and I know how famous Hyuuga Neji is. There's going to be more girls visiting there than our school. And what's with that long hair? He should be a girl."

"So, in other words, you are taking revenge for personal issues."

"Not any personal issues. It's our president and my little brother we are talking here. Did you see the look on Gaara's face that day after he came back from Konoha Gakuen? He had the most miserable look I've ever seen in his expressionless face. I just can't stand it knowing my little brother had been hurt that bad. "

Sasori sighed. He knew he had no more ways to convinced Kankurou to stop whatever he planned to do. He understood that Kankurou loved his brother, but to go through such extent, he didn't even want to think about the consequences they will face if Gaara found out about this.

"Whatever. I'm outta here." Sasori left Kankurou alone with his thoughts.

* * *

**The next day**

"Everyone seems to be in high spirit." Sasuke noted as he looked around the class. All of them were wearing their gym clothes because that day was an off day at school so all classes could prepare for the festival.

"Of course. This is **the** cultural festival." Kiba replied from behind. He was standing with his hands at the back of his head, smiling as he talked.

"They are having so much fun, but someone is trying to sabotage." Sasuke mumbled. He still remembered the letter from yesterday.

"Sasuke.." Kiba was about to tell Sasuke to ignore the letter when someone called him to try on the waitress outfit for the festival.

"Sasuke, you should try on your costume too." Sai appeared in front of Sasuke and handed him a collar shirt. He was chosen by the class to be the one who designed their waiter and waitress's outfit. While he was changing, he took a look around the class. There seemed to be a lot of discussion going on.

"Kiba, do you know where Naruto is?" Akamichi Chouji, the head of food section asked.

"At the Student Council office. He got some report to finish."

"Hmm, I need to ask him about the amount of food and beverage we should prepare."

"Yeah, I need to ask him about the equipment needed too." Aburame Shino, the one responsible for the tables and chairs needed added in. Before Kiba could answer, the class door was opened by none other than Iruka sensei.

"Is Naruto here? I need to discuss something with him."

"Sorry, Iruka sensei. He's still at the Student Council office."

"Oh, thank you, Kiba." Then, Iruka sensei left the class, probably headed towards the Student Council office.

Sasuke was surprised once again. He knew that Naruto was famous but he never thought that Naruto's opinion was that important. _Hn. Surprisingly that Dobe is quite good with his job._

"Surprised? Everyone seems to depend on him." Sasuke turned around to find Sai in front of him, to be exact, kneeling in front of him.

"Hn." Sai smiled.

"This shirt is too tight."

"Aa. You're skinny, yet you are all muscled. Seems that 'S' size is too small for you. Hmm. Lift up your shirt so I can measure your waist for the skirt."

"Hn." But Sasuke lift up his shirt for Sai.

"Wow. I never know that underneath that shirt, there's a six-pack abs." Sai was surprised.

"Hn. Just get on with it already." Sasuke said, irritated.

Sai looked up to say something, but Sasuke looked down at the same time. Sasuke's face sent shiver down his spine. _This position reminds me of…_Sai couldn't finish his own thoughts and blushed from embarrassment. Kiba, who glimpsed at Sasuke to make sure he's alright, by Naruto's order, watched Sai's expression and immediately marched towards them and pulled Sai away by his collar.

"Hurry up, Sai! Others are waiting." Kiba's voice woke him up from his thoughts.

"O..Ok. I'm coming."

_Fiuh. Luckily, I reacted fast. I didn't want to think what that pervert will do to the ice princess. I have to be more alert._

Sai walked away from Sasuke, relieved that he was free from that awkward position and thought. _Dangerous._ He shuddered when he thought of what Naruto would do to him if he found out about his perverted thoughts of Sasuke.

"Here, Sasuke. Try the skirt and the wig on, but leave the sweatpants on."

Sasuke didn't say anything and just put on the skirt and the blonde haired wig. When he finished, everyone was looking in awe. With that wig, Sasuke can be easily mistaken as a girl. His pale skin and slim body fitted perfectly in the waitress outfit that Sai designed. Kiba stood beside him with the waiter's outfit.

"Hmm, we need to narrow the skirt." Sai mumbled to himself and started to adjust the skirt without looking up at Sasuke. He didn't want to repeat the same thing again.

Shikamaru, all this time, just leaned against the door and watched the whole thing with a bored look on his face. Suddenly, Hyuuga Neji appeared and peeked inside the classroom.

"The costumes are lovely."

"You shouldn't spy on people although you are the president, senpai." Shika said.

"Spy? That's such a harsh word, Shikamaru-kun. Besides, he knows I'm here, see." Shika saw Sasuke waved from afar and Neji smiled and waved back.

"Senpai, do you like Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked bluntly.

"Hahaha...Cut to the chase, I see. Well, may I know the reason why?"

"I ask because someone close to me wants to know."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The person you love will always look lovely." Neji said, trying to avoid answering the question. Shika knew this and looked bored.

"Answer the question, senpai."

"If you must know, I'm in love with another. So you don't have to worry, Shikamaru-kun."

"Then, please don't be so close to Sasuke."

Neji looked amused and playfully slap Shikamaru's shoulder.

"This is strictly between me and Naruto."

"So you DO know."

"The person you love is interested in another. I know how it feels." Neji suddenly looked solemn. "But, it's nobody's fault, right?"

"So, you tortured him for fun." Shika concluded.

"You will know sooner or later." With that, Neji exited the class, leaving Sasuke confused and Shika in contemplative feelings.

* * *

**The day before the festival**

Everyone was rushing to finish their decoration and other preparations. None of them noticed a strange figure standing in the corridor. Apparently, Kankurou was succeeded in sneaking inside the school.

_They have no intentions on cancelling, I see_. Kankurou was pissed, but he suddenly grinned wickedly when he thought of what he was going to do. He immediately covered up his face with a cloth and sunglasses so that the students won't recognise him. _Hahaha, they are going to pay._

In Sasuke's class, things has been going on smoothly. Some students are putting up the new curtain for the windows. Others are re-checking the food and beverage stock.

"You will be selling tickets at the door." Shino told Sasuke.

"Hn."

"Sasuke!" Kiba jogged towards them with a black haired wig in his hands.

"Here. Black hair suits you better." Kiba plopped the wig on Sasuke's head. _Indeed, he looked better with the black haired wig._ Kiba mused. "I am right, Chouji." Chouji appeared behind Kiba with a list of food and beverages for the café in his hand.

"Yeah, black definitely suits him better." Chouji agreed.

"Hn." Without a word, he dashed out of the classroom, leaving Kiba and Chouji confused. "What's with him?"

He ran to find Neji senpai in the Student Council office to show him the wig. When he walked in, he saw that every member was busy with the report. Shikamaru was also there. Neji was listening to his report and giving his opinions when necessary.

"Pres, every classroom's sound system has been checked." Naruto reported.

"Excellent."

"Senpai" Everyone turned around to see Sasuke leaning against the door, "working hard?" Sasuke asked when he noticed that their discussion was over.

"Sasuke." Neji greeted with smile.

"Wow, teme. That's a nice wig." Naruto grinned.

"How cute." Neji patted Sasuke's head. Naruto came over to do the same gesture but his hands seemed not to be able to reach his head. So, he looked down to find that Sasuke has his hands on his chest, shoved him back, all the while smiling at Neji. Neji noticed this and just smiled back innocently. This made Naruto pouted but it didn't take long because Sasuke shifted his attention to him and said, "Everyone is looking for you."

"Oh, I'll have to go back then."

None of the people in the room noticed a shadow outside. It was none other than Kankurou in disguise. _That Hyuuga is the man everyone depends on. None of them knows his true self. That Namikaze kid too. I'll teach them a lesson. Just wait. _Kankurou was pissed and lost in his own plot to notice that he was out of his hiding place and someone might see him. When he heard that Naruto was going back to his class, he immediately went back to his hiding place and waited until they are gone.

"You all can go. I'll page you if I need anything. I'm going to check on delivery." Neji said, disbanding them. Then, they went separate ways. Suddenly, Neji remembered something and he turned around to call them before they got too far. "Oh, by the way…" He stopped mid sentence when he noticed a suspicious figure looking at Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru. Judging from the posture, he has a vague idea who the figure might be so he followed behind to see what he's up to.

* * *

Naruto entered the class with a bright smile. "Hi, everyone."

"Oh thank God you're here. The setup is almost done. But we have some arguments of where to put the equipment." Shino said.

"Just move the table over there." Naruto pointed towards the place beside the windows.

"We need more draperies." Sai reported to Naruto. "I'll bring more later."

By that time, Sasuke already took off the wig and joined Shikamaru in standing at the corner and observed others.

"The costumes all fit? Everybody has tried his?" Naruto asked Sai, receiving confirmation from him.

"Then leave them here so we won't forget it tomorrow." Naruto gestured others to put their waiter and waitress's outfit on a table. What they didn't know was that Kankurou was already hiding beneath the table where they put the outfit. _So that's their costumes for tomorrow. If I destroy them, the festival will be ruined. _Kankurou grinned wickedly and started to light up the lighter.

"What are you doing?" Neji's voice startled Kankurou, causing him to drop the lighter on the costumes he's planning to destroy. That started the fire and everyone in the class was gasping.

Sasuke cursed himself for not being able to protect Neji in time. _Shit, the water is too far away. They are outsiders, but I need to invoke water_. As he prepared to use a water spell, a hand stopped him. The hand belonged to none other than Naruto. "Don't worry, the sprinkler will kick in." Naruto seriously said. Sasuke was perplexed. As Naruto predicted, the sprinkler kicked in a second later.

"Wow, this is the first time I saw the sprinkler working." one student said dumbfounded.

"Don't just stand there! Move the costumes!" Sai yelled, gesturing others to help him.

_Just now, he stopped me? How did he know I was going to invoke water using ninja spell?_

Sasuke stood there looking at Naruto. His expression changed from shocked, stunned and then confused.

"Ah, it stopped." Chouji said. Suddenly they heard Ibiki sensei running towards their class, shouting all the way. "What's all the commotion?"

"Damn! Hurry, hide the burned clothes!" Naruto ordered. Everyone finished covering up the evidence by the time Ibiki sensei entered the class.

"Neji, Naruto. What's going on in here?" Before either of them could answer, others bombarded the teacher with complaints.

"The sprinkler malfunctioned." Shino said.

"All of a sudden, water shot out from the ceiling." Chouji added.

"That stupid sprinkler ruined our costumes." Sai complained.

"Really?" Ibiki sensei still didn't believe a word.

"Look for yourself! We are all wet!" Sai tried to convince the teacher. "I thought we could go home already!" Ibiki couldn't say anything, so he opted to tell them to clean up the mess and left.

After Ibiki sensei exited the class, everyone sighed in relief.

"Man, I'm soaked. Good thing we covered it up!" Kiba groaned. Shika stood beside him.

"The fire trucks would have shown up if the sprinkler was really activated." Shika said.

"So, Naruto dono did this?" Kiba was surprised.

"Otherwise it wouldn't go off all of a sudden. Fire alarm would have gone off too." Shika concluded.

"Damn. The table is ruined." Sai sighed in frustration.

"Move it to the dumpster behind the gym then." Naruto instructed and then he moved to sit beside Neji.

"We'll leave the offender to you, pres. My class will pretend that nothing happened." Naruto said knowingly.

"Well, I don't really plan on executing him. After all, there's no permanent damage." Neji replied.

Kankurou, who during all the commotions didn't have time to escape, hid beneath the table where Neji and Naruto sat. He heard the conversation and was suddenly felt ashamed of himself for causing all these.

"If he has a brain, he would have escaped during the chaos." Neji said again.

"Right."

"He should at least take it like a man." The sentence stabbed Kankurou in the heart.

"How pathetic. He came alone meaning no one supported him." Naruto almost laughed when he said this.

"I HATE YOU GUYS!!" Kankurou shouted and then dashed out. Naruto laughed out loud and Neji shook his head.

"Well, I can help you guys mop up this mess." Neji made a move to grab a mop. Sasuke prevented this in time.

"There's no need to concern yourself with this, senpai. It's my duty. Anyway, good thing it didn't become a big deal. Thanks to you." Sasuke said, hands holding a mop.

Neji smiled and patted Sasuke's head, "it's Naruto." Sasuke was astounded at the reply and glanced towards Naruto, who was helping others to clean up the mess. Naruto noticed this and looked at Sasuke, goofy smile back in place.

"Ah, teme. You're wet. Here's a towel." Naruto handed him the towel. Sasuke merely stared at him calculatingly. _This is getting more and more confusing. He knew I was going to invoke water so he stopped me.What he's playing at?_

"Why did you stop me? How did you know?" Sasuke decided to voice out his thoughts.

"I helped not because I wanted your gratitude. You know?" Naruto said seriously, not breaking any eye contact. Sasuke was rendered speechless and stared back as intensely. "Naruto, we need more towels here." Sai's voice caused them to break eye contact and suddenly Naruto was back to his cheerful self. "Coming!!" Naruto shouted. He left Sasuke alone to attend others.

* * *

**On the day of Cultural Festival**

"**WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR SKIRT?**" Naruto's voice echoed all over the school. He was wearing the waitress outfit while Sasuke was wearing the waiter's outfit. He sounded disappointed but everyone found it to be quite funny.

"Hn." Sasuke preferred not to answer his question and moved to serve the customers.

"Apparently, his costumes got burned yesterday and now he's wearing Sai's." Kiba told his dono.

Others began to tease Naruto by saying how cute Sasuke is and how they should have taken pictures of him. Naruto was irritated that he seemed to be the only one who hadn't had the opportunity to see Sasuke in skirt. So he took off his own and threw it towards Sasuke. "Wear mine!!" Sasuke just hn-ed at him and moved to serve other customers. Naruto won't let go of this matter so he chased Sasuke around, all the while wearing only boxers on.

"Naruto, someone wants to meet you."

"Huh? AH! GAARA!!" Naruto momentarily forgot about Sasuke and the outfit and beamed at him. Gaara is the president of Suna Gakuen. He has red hair, a pair of green eyes and he always wears dark eyeliners. He also has a tattoo of chinese word, 'Ai', on his forehead, but it was covered with his bangs.

"Naruto." Gaara greeted. Naruto then shifted his gaze to two figures behind Gaara, Kankurou and Sasori. Kankurou looked annoyed at Naruto.

"Naruto, put your clothes on."

"Huh? Oh yeah." Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. After he finished putting his clothes on, he asked, "So, Gaara, why did you come here? Don't you have festival to run?"

"Naruto, I'm here to apologize for my brother's inappropriate behaviours yesterday."

"Huh? Oh, that. It's alright. There's nothing to be forgiven. He didn't do it on purpose."

Before Gaara could reply, Neji came in. "Hey, Naruto, how's your café going?" Then, he noticed Gaara, Kankurou and Sasori. His face immediately brightened up and marched towards them.

"Gaara, long time no see." Neji smiled a smile that could rival Naruto's.

"Hyuuga, it's been a while."

"Gaara, I already told you to call me Neji. It's an honour to have the president of Suna Gakuen's Student Council in our school."

"I came to apologize for my brother's behaviour yesterday. If there's anything damaged, please let me know. We'll be responsible for everything."

"There's nothing to be worried about. How about I show you around the school since you are here and Naruto is busy?" Neji offered. Kankurou looked at him with hatred and stood in front of Gaara, protecting him.

"Listen, you asshole. I'm not handing my brother to you. Dream on!" Neji ignored this and continued to look at Gaara.

"You guys can come along too if you want."

"Gaara, let's go back. We have our own festival to do." Kankurou will do everything within his power to prevent his brother spending time alone with Hyuuga again. Gaara nodded.

"See you around next time, Naruto, Hyuuga."

"Bye, Gaara!" Naruto waved and Neji looked at the retreating figure longingly. He didn't bother to hide his disappointment when he saw them left. Naruto walked up to him and patted his shoulder.

"He'll come around, Neji. Be patient." Neji turned to look at Naruto and thanked him for his concern. He too left the classroom. Naruto instructed everyone to go back to whatever they are doing.

* * *

**With Gaara**

"Gaara, you don't have to apologize to them. If there's anyone that should apologize, it's them."

Gaara just kept silent.

"Alright, I know I was wrong, but I only want to get them back for what they did to you that day." Gaara looked surprised for a second, but then his face went blank again._ How did he know?_

"They didn't do anything, Kankurou." Gaara tried to dismiss the discussion.

"Then, why did you look sad that day? I know you went to Konoha Gakuen to see Naruto. But, then I saw you walking home with that Hyuuga. You had the most miserable look on your face. Tell me what happened, please. I don't want to see that look ever again." Kankurou sounded desperate.

"It's nothing." Gaara kept on walking. Kankurou didn't want to accept that answer. He reached out and grabbed Gaara's shoulder, turned him around to look at him.

"Please." Gaara sighed. He knew Kankurou wouldn't let this go if he didn't get his answer.

"I confessed to Naruto that day, but I got rejected. Apparently, Neji heard my confession. When I left, Neji was waiting for me at the gate and he told me that he heard everything. He comforted me by saying that Naruto was a fool to reject me. He then accompanied me home. That's all. Just let it go."

To say Kankurou was shocked is an understatement. Who knew his brother was in love with his own best friend. But why did Neji offer Gaara a comfort? _Don't tell me…_Kankurou then smiled. "Alright, I'll let it go. That Hyuuga was right. You're too good for that Namikaze kid anyway." Then they continued walking back to their school.

-TBC-

* * *

If there's any grammatical error, please don't blame me...It's not beta'ed. (T,T)

Anyway, how is this story so far? Good? Bad? Boring? **Please review!!** :D

Thanks!!


	4. Chapter 4

_Thoughts_

"Conversation"

**Disclaimers: None of the characters below belongs to me (T,T)**

**Warning: Some kissing involved :D and there are KakaIru and NejiGaa mentioned. ;P**

* * *

The festival was over with a very successful result. None of the students remembered the incident with the Suna Gakuen vice president. Now, they are returning to their old routine of studying, gossiping and flirting (mostly Naruto's part). One day, Sasuke was walking down the corridor to the teacher's office when he heard someone called his name.

"SASUKE! TEME! Wait up!" Naruto's voice echoed across the hall. Sasuke, of course, recognized his voice and didn't turn around. He just kept walking, in fact, he fastened his pace. Naruto had to run to catch up with him. When he finally caught up with Sasuke, he was panting. After he calmed down, he looked at Sasuke with a pout.

"Teme!! Why didn't you answer me? I know you hear me!" Naruto whined.

"Hn, dobe."

"Hey, don't call me that! Anyway, where are you going?"

"Teacher's office. Iruka sensei wanted to see me."

"REALLY? I'M HEADING THERE TOO!" Naruto said a little too loud that made Sasuke cringed. Then he looked at Naruto with a distrust stare.

"What's with that look, teme? It's a coincidence. Anyway, this reminds me of the other day when…bla...bla…" Sasuke tuned him out, as usual. His mind is elsewhere. He tried to sum up all the incidents that happened lately.

_Naruto has the Light Blue Hook that was supposed to identify the Fox Lord. And there's Neji senpai who bears similarities with the current Fox Lord. But, other than that, there's no other evidence pointed that he's the Fox Lord. And on the day before cultural festival, Naruto knew I was going to invoke water so he stopped me. I have a feeling that he was the one who activated the sprinkler. But, if he's the Fox Lord, he should be immune to my power. But he's not since he still forgot about the attack on the rooftop. But, what if he's pretending? Argh! This is so confusing. Why the Fox Lord didn't show himself to me? Am I not good enough? _

"Sasuke! Teme! Oi!"

"Huh?"

"I've been trying to call you for the past ten minutes. We are in front of the office."

"Oh."

Naruto looked bewildered at Sasuke's cooperative answer. Usually, he never missed an opportunity to ignore or to insult him. But, after what happened on that day, he noticed that Sasuke often looked at him with unreadable expression and when Naruto looked at him, he put back his cold expression.

_Wonder what he is thinking just now. Don't tell me he already figured out I'm the one he's looking for…_Naruto looked scared for a minute. _Nah, if he does figure it out, he will be confronting me right now. _Then, he dismissed his thoughts.

Both of them entered the office, each with their own thoughts. Neither of them realized they had managed to catch the attention of some seniors, who were looking at them from their class.

"Hey, did you see him just now? The transfer student, Uchiha Sasuke." Ukon, one of the seniors said.

"Yeah, very striking. I'll do him." Kabuto smirked.

"Heh, I think he's already taken. Hyuuga Neji seems to have taken interest in him. That Namikaze kid too." Sakon said.

"Ooh, too bad then." Kimimaro said.

"Yeah, he transferred during the terms, which means he is smart because the transfer exams are difficult. Damn, he's so perfect. He has the looks and the brain." Ukon added.

Kabuto just remained silent during the conversation. He looked as if he's plotting something, which he was.

* * *

"Can you explain to me what is this, Sasuke?" Iruka sensei held out a test paper in front of Sasuke's face.

Sasuke just looked indifferent. "What is what?" Iruka sensei looked at him like he has grown another head.

"How can you get zero on an easy quiz like this? You passed the transfer exam with the highest result. Tell me, Sasuke, are you troubled? Is it puberty? I've told you when you transferred here that you can talk to me whenever you are in trouble." Iruka asked with concern laced in his voice.

"There's nothing wrong, sensei."

"Well, if there's nothing wrong, you better concentrate on your study now because the finals are coming. The festivals are over, so get back to your books. Remember, Sasuke, if you need anything, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll help you in anyway that I can." Iruka smiled, making Sasuke a little uncomfortable so he said thank you and quickly left the room. Iruka looked at his retreating figure with a sigh.

"He will be fine, sensei. Don't worry too much." Kakashi's voice startled him. He turned around to see Kakashi standing one feet from him.

"Ah, Kakashi sensei. You surprised me. I didn't notice you are here. Didn't you go to cafeteria just now?"

"Yeah, but I only grabbed some sandwiches and juices. Here, have some." Kakashi sensei handed a tuna sandwich and a box of orange juice to Iruka. Iruka smiled warmly at him before taking the sandwich and juice and thanking him. Kakashi smiled back beneath his mask. He only watched as Iruka had his lunch in silence.

"So, umm, are you doing anything this weekend, Iruka sensei?" Kakashi broke the silence.

"Huh? Oh, nothing that I know of. Why?" Iruka looked a little bit confused. Kakashi never asked him this before.

"Well, I was thinking of watching this movie with you. I saw the preview and I thought you will find it interesting." Kakashi's cheek tinted a little bit pink when he said this. He was in love with Iruka for quite some time and finally he managed to gather some courage to ask him out.

Iruka blushed. "O…Oh. Umm, okay."

"Alright then. I'll pick you up at eleven on Saturday so we can have lunch together before the movie. Is it okay with you?" On the outside, Kakashi sounded aloof, but on the inside, he was so relieved and happy.

"Ye-yeah." Iruka answered with a blush still on his face.

Kakashi practically floated when he approached his next class and you can notice a grin underneath his mask all afternoon and he didn't even once read his porn in the class. His students thought he's weirder than usual.

* * *

When Sasuke left the office, he saw Naruto was leaving as well. Naruto then walked towards him.

"Hey, I overheard your conversation with Iruka sensei, sorry." Naruto smiled apologetically.

"Hn."

"Listen, I don't have any Student Council meeting prior to the finals so how about we study together after school."

"No." Sasuke walked away. However, Naruto didn't let this go easily.

"You actually didn't know you were supposed to write down the answers, not that you didn't know the answers. Am I right, Sasuke?" Naruto said seriously.

"So what? None of your business." Sasuke turned around to look at Naruto. But, he was surprised at the hurt look on Naruto's face. He felt his chest tightened at the sight. Then, Naruto looked furious.

"**None of my business?!** What if you get expelled!?" Naruto clenched his hand so hard that it turned white and trembled in anger as he spoke.

"FYI, Konoha Gakuen is one of the most prestigious schools. Students below standards will be expelled!"

Sasuke stared at him and didn't say a word. After a few minutes under his gaze, Naruto forgot his anger and started to fidget, waiting for Sasuke's response of his sudden outburst.

"Fine. Let's study together, dobe." Sasuke said flatly. Sasuke's sudden change caught Naruto off guard. He didn't know what to say besides, "Er…okay."

"Hn." Then Sasuke walked away, leaving Naruto standing in the middle of the corridor in confused state. Then, he suddenly smiled brightly.

_Hahaha…I know he couldn't resist me for too long. I'm irresistible after all._

Naruto felt giddy inside. However, he didn't know that Sasuke thought differently.

_Hn. I got no other choice. I have to continue staying in this school if I want to find the Fox Lord. I think the Fox Lord wanted me to learn the knowledge needed for city life since I've been living in the village up 'till now. That's probably why he hasn't shown himself. __**Everything will be clear once you find the Fox Lord.**__ That's my last instruction and this school is the only connection to the Fox Lord. I can't get expelled before the mission is completed._

Sasuke thought as he walked towards the class.

* * *

**After school**

"Which subject shall we start with first?" Naruto looked serious. Before Sasuke could reply, a voice interrupted them.

"Oh? Sasuke is studying?" Turning around, he saw Sai, Chouji and Shino walking towards their table.

"Why only with Naruto? We can help you, too." Sai said. Sasuke didn't make any response.

"Go away! Sasuke promised to study with me!" Naruto stood up, trying to shove them away.

"Naruto, you don't need to study. You are the top 20 in the whole school. We're the one who need to study." Sai teased. Sasuke stared at Naruto, surprised once again. _Hn. Never thought that he's in the top 20. Guess I underestimate him again._

Naruto moved to stand behind Sasuke and hugged him, his hands encircled on Sasuke's neck when he said, "No is no. I'm the one who's going to tutor him, right Sasuke?" Naruto then smiled goofily, only to be pinched on the cheek by Sasuke, but Sasuke didn't say anything to Naruto's statement.

"Let's relocate, Sasuke. We can't study with all these noises. See ya!" Naruto then gathered all his stuff and dragged Sasuke out of the class. Sasuke didn't make any protest or struggle during the whole process. Sai and Chouji looked at each other and shrugged. Shino just remained silent. But one thought remained in their head_. Are they official?_

* * *

**Student Council office**

"No, Naruto. The office can't be used prior the exam time, except for the president." Neji was sitting while Naruto stood across the desk and Sasuke was sitting in the sofa.

"I don't believe you. You made this up, didn't you?" Naruto said, pointing his finger at Neji. He was ignored. Neji suddenly stood up, walking towards Sasuke and sat beside him in the sofa.

"English is my best subject. I can tutor you if you want." Neji offered.

"Thank you, senpai." Sasuke felt grateful. Apparently, he's still not able to believe that Naruto might be the Fox Lord and he didn't feel that comfortable to be left alone with Naruto for a reason he still couldn't identify.

"NO! Leave us alone!" Naruto yelled, annoyed.

"C'mon, English is your worst subject. Without it you'll be in the top 5. You don't want him to fail, do you?" Neji said rationally, knowing that this will get to Naruto.

"That's so not fair." Naruto sulked because he knew Neji was right. Neji smiled in triumph.

"Let's get started, shall we? First, we should cover what might come up in the finals." Neji proceeded to tutor Sasuke while Naruto watched them with pouty expression.

* * *

**The next day, at P.E. lesson**

Sasuke smoothly jumped above a-meter-high pole and left everyone amazed.

"Cool! He's practically flying!" One student said.

"Yeah, he's amazing and perfect. He got the look, the brain and he's also athletic." Others said.

"He has the looks and the brawns, **minus **the brain." Kiba said dryly.

"Don't say that. He's not stupid. He's just ignorant and don't forget that he's still adapting." Naruto defended. Kiba and Shika just stared at Naruto. Naruto didn't say anything more because he knew his argument didn't have any ground. He still contemplated whether he should tell them about yesterday. But, he thought they probably should know so he told them.

_**-Flashback-**_

"Let's get started with math, okay, Sasuke?" Naruto asked after Neji finished with English.

"Get on with it, dobe."

"Okay, how's your trig?" Naruto asked.

"Trick?" Sasuke looked confused.

"Umm, how about algebra?" Naruto tried again.

"What the hell is that?" Sasuke began to get annoyed.

"Er…multiplication table?" Naruto began to sound helpless.

Sasuke didn't even bother to utter a response. He just stared at Naruto. Naruto banged his head on the table, feeling defeated.

_**-End of flashback-**_

"Muahahaha…" Shika laughed without any facial movement.

"Please laugh with your facial muscle, OK! It's creepy!"

"He's all brawns but no brains. A ninja baka (1)" Kiba said matter-of-factly.

"No! He's just isolated!" Naruto turned to look at Kiba.

"_**An ivory tower ninja**_. How interesting!" Kiba said wryly.

"Cut the crap." Naruto muttered.

"He's here because of your whim. You have to take full responsibility." Shikamaru finished with a yawn.

"I will." Naruto sounded determined.

"Tch. Troublesome." Shika didn't say anything more.

_I only wish to show him the outside world. Is it wrong?_ Naruto thought sadly.

After school, Sasuke and Naruto went to the Student Council office to resume their tutorial. Neji was there too.

_Photographic memory, huh? No wonder he got the highest result on the transfer exam_. Naruto pondered.

_He's studying hard all because of the Fox Lord. No, I'm wrong. He's doing it for the sake of…_He looked at Neji…_the president._ Naruto narrowed his eyes at Neji's direction.

"Sasuke, you're studying hard." Neji noticed Naruto's glare, purposedly praised Sasuke.

"Ah, yes." Sasuke looked shy.

Naruto gritted his teeth in jealousy. Neji just continued to annoy Naruto.

"I'll give you rewards after the finals."

"No, I should reward you." Sasuke quickly declined.

"Sasuke, I want a reward too!" Naruto practically shouted and stood up. Sasuke looked at Naruto for a moment and then turned around so his back was facing him.

"None whatsoever." Sasuke said in a monotone. Naruto pouted and prepared for a comeback when an announcement was made.

**Ting Tong Tang. Naruto of class 2-C, please report to the teacher's office immediately. Repeat…**

"Ah, I forgot I was supposed to see Iruka sensei fifteen minutes ago."

"Then, you should hurry, Naruto. It won't be good to make Iruka sensei waited another minutes." Neji stated.

"But…But…Sasuke will be alone with you." Naruto wiggled his bump and pouted.

"**Enough! Go!**" Sasuke practically growled. Naruto left reluctantly. As soon as Naruto left, there's a knock on the door. Then the door opened to reveal Kiba.

"Huh? Where's Naruto?" Kiba looked around the room to find Naruto gone.

"He was enquired at teacher's office." Neji informed him.

"Is that so? I'll go look for him then. Oh, by the way, pres, what are you doing here? Naruto basically begged us not to interrupt his time with Sasuke."

"Oops. Really? Am I interrupting?" Neji looked at Sasuke and pretended to sound apologetic. No one noticed Kiba who left quietly after he made that comment.

"There's nothing to interrupt, senpai. Just ignore it. He's so weird. Always smiling and talking nonsense." Sasuke groaned.

"I think he's not weird. After all, everyone wishes to be alone with his beloved." Neji smiled dejectedly as he remembered something sad. Sasuke just remained silent. Then, after a while, he tried to change the subject.

"So, Sasuke, you haven't been here long. Do you enjoy school so far?" Neji smiled, but Sasuke can tell it's a little forced.

"Well…" Neji's question made Sasuke thought about all events that happened lately. He thought about the first day he arrived at school and Naruto practically threw himself at him, about how Naruto plastered him everyday, about Naruto's confession although the said person had forgotten about it (little did he know that Naruto remembered everything) and about the incidents before the cultural festival and the festival itself where he became a waiter. _It's funny how my thoughts seemed to revolve around Naruto a lot_. His lip curved upwards before he could help himself but then he realized that he hasn't answered Neji senpai's question.

"Yes." He answered with a hint of happiness in his voice, which he tried to cover.

Neji smiled. "That's good. Did you think about Naruto just now?"

"No." Sasuke said quickly, trying to hide his thoughts from Neji. Neji just smiled.

"Hmm, when Naruto is concerned, you become very defensive, Sasuke." Neji looked amused and pinched Sasuke's cheek. _Poor Naruto, you have to put a lot of effort on this dense creature._

"I'M BACK!!" Naruto shouted as he opened the door quickly as he panted; one hand on his knees and the other on the door as he tried to calm his breath. Apparently, he ran all the way to the room after he finished talking with Iruka sensei. Neither Neji nor Sasuke had time to react so they remained unmoved. Then Naruto noticed Neji's hand on Sasuke's cheek and he shouted (wonder how big his lung is).

"Ah! You're cheating on me! How could you!" Naruto cried dramatically.

"Hn." Sasuke tuned him out again -- something he managed to master as he dealt with Naruto everyday – and returned to his books as Naruto continued to exclaim how cruel Sasuke and Neji are for cheating behind his back. Neji just sweatdropped and he wanted to take back the comment he made about Naruto. _Sasuke is right. He **is** weird._

* * *

The exam finally finished and today is the day the results come out. Everyone was gathering around the notice board to check the results. Kiba searched for his name and he was in the top 50. He sighed in relief. Then, he moved to search for Sasuke and Naruto's name. He saw Sasuke's in the top 5. He was surprised.

"What kind of magic did you pull?"

"Hn. I just memorize everything. I don't necessarily have to understand it; just store it in my short-term memory." Sasuke said emotionlessly.

Meanwhile, Naruto looked for his name only to find that he's at the 14th place. He sulked. Sasuke also noticed his ranks and sneered.

"Want me to tutor you, dobe?" Sasuke mocked. He felt good that he can act superior again.

"Teme!" Naruto growled.

* * *

"Senpai." Sasuke greeted as he entered the Student Council room. Naruto followed behind. There's no way he's going to leave them alone.

"Sasuke, I saw the ranking. Congrats." Neji smiled.

"Thanks to you, senpai." Sasuke smiled.

"So, I reckoned that English's your downfall again, Naruto." Neji looked at Naruto.

"You jinxed me." Naruto accused. Neji ignored this and turned to look at Sasuke.

"Ah, Sasuke. What do you want for a reward?"

"Reward? Hmm," He then grabbed Naruto's sleeves and continued, "senpai, I need to borrow this guy."

Then he bolted out of the room without giving Neji a chance to reply, dragging Naruto along.

"Teme! Slow down! Where are we going?" Naruto has to run to keep up with Sasuke. This made Sasuke stopped his pace and turned around to face Naruto.

"Hn. Dobe. I just need to borrow your name."

"Huh?" Naruto looked confused. Sasuke just shrugged and continued walking.

* * *

**Back to Neji**

"What was that about?" Neji murmured. Then he heard a knock at the door. He opened it only to reveal Gaara, the president of Suna Gakuen's Student Council.

"Hyuuga, is Naruto here? He said he wanted to see me." Neji was confused for a minute and then he smiled. _My reward, huh?_

"He just left." Neji answered with a smile.

"Oh, sorry to bother you. I'll leave now." Gaara turned to leave but Neji grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait!" Neji exclaimed. Gaara turned around and looked at him, while Neji ransacked his brain, trying to find an excuse to make Gaara stayed longer.

"Are you busy now?" He blurted out. Gaara just continued to look at him with a blank expression. He never knew what the other was thinking about so he waited anxiously for Gaara's answer.

"No." Neji sighed in relief.

"Why don't you sit down and chat with me for a while? We seldom have this kind of chance." Gaara didn't answer. He just silently moved to sit on the sofa.

"How are you, Gaara?"

"I'm fine."

"Hmm, do…do you, ugh, well, I, ugh, I know this is inappropriate of me for asking, but I, umm, I want to know if you still have feelings for Naruto?" Neji was nervous and afraid. He was putting all his hope on this.

Gaara didn't know what to say. So, he opted to ask him why.

"Why are you concerned about my feelings for Naruto?"

"Umm, I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"Aa. You mean to say that Naruto has another love interest. I already knew that."

"Oh? How did you find out about it?" Gaara sighed. He didn't know why he had to explain things to this Hyuuga, but he felt that he had to for some reason.

"You remembered the day he rejected me, right? The next day, I confronted him again, asking him why he rejected me. He told me that he already has the most important person that he swore to protect with all his life. He's sorry for not being able to accept me, but he'll always be my friend. After he left, I told myself that I have to learn to accept that. So, to answer your first question, I still have feelings for Naruto, but it's not a romantic love anymore. It's more like a brotherly love now. Are you satisfied, Hyuuga?" This probably was the longest sentences Neji heard from Gaara. Yet, his answer made Neji's day. He smiled so wide that you'll think that he broke his jaw.

So, instead of answering Gaara's question, he stood up and walked towards the red head. He then grabbed his hands and pulled Gaara up so he was face to face with him, his arms wrapped around Gaara's waist. Gaara just stared at him questioningly.

"What do you think you are doing, Hyuuga?" Gaara sounded calm.

"Claiming you as mine." Neji said.

"I don't have time to play this game with you, Hyuuga. I'm leaving." Gaara pulled himself away from Neji's grab and headed towards the door. However, Neji was faster. He immediately stood between Gaara and the door, blocking the only exit from the room.

"Why don't you believe that I love you?"

"You are not making any sense. How can you love me if you don't know me that well?"

"I know everything about you. I know your like everything that's related to sand. I know the reason you tattooed the word 'Ai' on your forehead is because you are longing for someone to love you for who you are. I want to be that person, Gaara. Give me a chance to prove my love to you."

Gaara looked into Neji's eyes, wanted to see if he was telling the truth. But, he saw more than the truth. There's so much love in those pale eyes. He just couldn't believe that there's someone other than Naruto who cared about him deeply and even love him. He couldn't stand looking at him anymore that he looked down on his feet. Then, he mumbled something. Neji was afraid he heard it wrong.

"What did you say just now?"

"I say alright, I'll give you a chance. But, only one chance. If you fucked it up, Hyuuga, don't come begging because I won't give you a second chance." Gaara looked into Neji's eyes when he said this. He wanted to make sure Neji knows how serious he is.

"Thank you." Then he leaned down and captured Gaara's lip in a kiss. After a while, he felt that Gaara kissed him back. He felt so happy that Gaara finally accepted him. He vowed to himself that he'll never want to see the sad look on Gaara's face again.

They broke the kiss because they need to breath. Both of them looked at each other and blushed. Then Neji dived in for another kiss.

* * *

**With Sasuke and Naruto**

"Come on. Tell me, teme." Naruto whined and walked beside Sasuke.

"I left Neji senpai alone with Gaara." Sasuke said. Naruto was astounded.

"EH!! How did you know about Neji and Gaara!? And how do you make Gaara comes to our school?!" Naruto bombarded Sasuke with questions.

"Hn."

"You haven't answered my question, teme."

"I noticed the look on Neji senpai's face the other day. It's obvious that he likes the Suna Gakuen's pres. So I send a note to Gaara using your name to ask him to come."

"Ooh." _You took a notice at that and_ _yet you're totally clueless about your mission_. Naruto thought amusedly.

"Then why won't you spare a glance at me?" Naruto said sadly. Sasuke heard this and he stopped walking and turned around to face Naruto. Instead of answering him, Sasuke pulled Naruto by the necktie and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. Naruto just stood there and blushed at the sudden contact.

"What was that for, teme!?" Naruto sounded embarrassed although he was jumping inside.

"Your reward."

"You…" Naruto's lost for words.

"I was told by Sai that this was the best reward to make anyone happy, did he lie?"

"No! He's damn right!" Naruto put his two thumbs up and smiled at Sasuke. _He doesn't really understand the meaning of a kiss, but who the hell complain about this? Furthermore, I believe he has initiated a very special first step, like no other ninjas would._ Naruto thought as he squeezed Sasuke in a tight hug. Sasuke just let him this time.

Sasuke felt somewhat happy to know that he's the one who made Naruto smiled like that. Although he hasn't sorted out his true feelings for this blond boy, he was pretty sure he didn't hate him and he somehow has started to accept his existence in his life.

* * *

**The Next Day**

"Oh, Sasuke, you dropped your eraser." Sai said as he picked up the said eraser and handed it to Sasuke.

"Hn. Thanks." Sasuke then proceeded to kiss Sai in front of everyone, including Naruto, leaving a fainted Sai.

"Sasuke teme! You can't do this to just anyone!" Naruto shrieked. He wailed at his stupidity for falling for such a dense kid. He thought maybe he should have explained more about the meaning of kiss to Sasuke yesterday.

All in all, it is another peaceful day in Konoha Gakuen.

* * *

**AN: Heyya guys, just wanna tell you that I'm not going to update soon coz I'm going to Gold Coast for a week. But, don't worry! I'll continue as soon as I get back, so don't abandon me, please!!**

Anyways, REVIEW please!! I want to know whether you like the story so far or not...Thanks :D


	5. Chapter 5

_Thoughts_

"Conversations"

**AN: Sorry for the late updates…I just came back from my holiday last Tuesday so I need to rest for a while before I started to write again. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter ;P**

**Disclaimers: None of the characters and the plots below is mine, although I do hope so lolz…**

**Warnings: Sasuke will be a lil bit OOC in this chapter. **

* * *

The sound of class door opening startled the occupants in the room. Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru looked up to see who opened it. It turned out to be Sasuke with the usual expressionless face of his. He scanned the people in the room before he met Naruto's eyes and his expression turned irritated. On the other hand, Naruto's eyes sparkled when he saw Sasuke. He immediately glommed onto him and practically yelled.

"SASUKE!! I miss you so much! Cold morning, isn't it?"

Luckily Sasuke had a good reflex so he managed to dodge the 'hug attack' from Naruto just in time. So, instead of hugging Sasuke, Naruto's face was met by the door. Unable to hug his beloved Sasuke, he sulked. Sasuke walked towards his seat at down, ignoring the sulking creature.

Kiba and Shika just sat there, watching the whole interaction with amused smile.

"Morning, Sasuke." Sai greeted him from his seat. Sasuke just nodded. He looked at Sai and Couji and finally noticed that they were studying. Curiously, he asked why they were studying since tomorrow is the end of the term.

"If I don't rake up enough points in the make up exams, I'll have to come back to school during the winter holidays. There's a food festival that I really want to go to and I don't want to miss that." Chouji said determinedly.

"Not that you have to worry, Sasuke. You passed everything and even get to the top 5. Hey, Naruto, can Sasuke tutor us?" Sai turned to Naruto and asked with a smile.

Naruto thought for a minute and then agreed, although a bit reluctantly. "Since we're busy with the Student Council officers' transactions, I'll allow it."

Sasuke was a bit pissed and confused with Sai's action. "Hey, why did you have to ask permission from Naruto first? He doesn't own me."

Sai just smiled and answered. "Well, it's because he always acts territorial whenever you are concerned."

Sasuke just stared at Sai, silently urging him to continue.

"So, we thought anything about Sasuke should be run by Naruto, that's all."

Sasuke had a 'what-the-hell' look on his face when Sai finished his explanation. He never thought that he and Naruto gave that kind of impression. Soon, they forgot about the discussion and continued to study. Sasuke sat there in contemplative thoughts. After that the bell rang and they moved to their own seat to wait for the first lesson.

* * *

**RING.**

The bell signalled lunch time. Sai and Chouji used this to continue their study., with Sasuke as their temporary tutor. They quickly bought their lunch and ate it in class.

"Why wouldn't it snow? It's too damn cold." Chouji complained after a while.

"Ah, Christmas is just around the corner. Any plan for Christmas, Sasuke?" Sai asked.

"Hn. Why? Go ask Naruto." _What the hell is Christmas anyway?_ **(AN: Remember that he's isolated so he didn't know a lot of things.)**

Everyone who heard this had only similar thoughts in his minds and they all stared at Sasuke.

_They're together. No doubt!_

_A romantic Christmas. Naturally!_

_Those two are a couple!_

Sasuke seemed to be completely unaware of all the stares his classmates gave him. He just continued to help Sai with his math problems. _He always tried to deny his relationships with Naruto, and yet he told us to ask Naruto about his Christmas plans. You failed to hide it, Sasuke._ Sai thought with amusement.

Soon, they forgot about Sasuke's statement and talked about something else.

"Hey, did you all hear about Lee senpai and his girlfriend?" Chouji said.

"Oh, the girl from Kunoichi High, right? The one with pink hair? They're still together?" Sai replied.

"Yeah, that one. I heard that she popped up the question, want to meet my parents?" Chouji eagerly said.

"You gotta be kidding!" Kiba suddenly joined the conversation just because he liked to gossip.

"Maybe she just mean that." Sai said.

"But then I heard that she also said 'let's get married after graduation.' She might be serious." Chouji added.

"Wow, this is surprising. I always thought that the girl was only toying with Lee senpai. Who knew that she's serious about this. After all, Lee senpai is not that attractive, with all his ý'youthfulness' things." Kiba shuddered when he thought of the time where Lee senpai lectured him about youthfulness when he caught him skipping the class.

_Parents…I'm too ashamed to face them. I must hurry up and find the Fox Lord, and bring him home._

After school, Sasuke sneaked into the archive room to search for some clues from the students' files. He was too concentrated that he didn't realize that Neji was standing behind him.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here? You know you are not allowed here." Sasuke was startled that he nearly dropped the book.

"S-Senpai. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. You are lucky that I was the one who found you here. Anyway, what are you looking for?"

Instead of answering the question, Sasuke tried to pry information out of Neji.

"Senpai, this file contains everybody's information in this school, right?" Neji looked confused but he nodded anyway.

"Did anyone transfer out?"

"Not that I know of."

"Is that so?"

"Looking for someone?" Neji repeated his earlier question that was still unanswered.

Sasuke finally decided to answer after a few minutes. "Yes."

"Well, do you know his name?"

"No."

"What he looked like?"

"No. All I know that he goes to this school."

"Then how are you supposed to find him with almost no clues at all?"

Sasuke seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before he answered.

"I only remember his long…beautiful black hair…A mesmerising figure in the wind. A natural, born leader who commands and executes with precision. A person everyone highly respects…" _That's the Fox Lord I know._

Neji looked at him and said with amusing tone, "If you said it like that, don't you think I fit the bill?"

Sasuke smiled. "Yes, I really wish it were you."

"Well, too bad I'm not or your problem will be solved quicker. Anyway, let's go before the teacher comes."

They headed towards the door, but before Neji opened it, Sasuke asked Neji not to tell anyone about this.

Neji turned around and smiled at him. "I know, especially Naruto, right?" Sasuke just looked away. He still didn't know why he didn't want **him** to know.

* * *

After they left, Neji told Sasuke that he needed to go back to the Student Council's office. So, Sasuke thanked him one more time and he turned to walk to his class to take his bag so he could go home. He was thinking about the whole thing again on his way to the classroom, unaware of a pair of eyes watching his every move.

_The more I gave a thought about this mission; I don't think it is an urgent mission anymore. If the Fox Lord is truly missing, the whole village will be searching high and low. Therefore, I believe that the purpose of this mission is for me to meet with the Fox Lord. And the most excited person to see me since the first day I came is……Why can't he just command me directly?_

"Uchiha Sasuke?" A voice woke him from his thoughts. He saw a senior standing in front of him. He has long gray hair, tied into a ponytail and he wears a pair of glasses. The senior just smiled under Sasuke's calculating and suspicious stare.

"Hn."

"So you are Sasuke? I'm Neji's classmates. He asked me to come get you coz he needs your help on something. Could you please come with me?" Kabuto, the senior, continued to smile.

Sasuke was no fool. He knew that there's something wrong with this senior. So he pretended to be oblivious to see what he's up to.

"Hn."

"This way, please." Kabuto led the way.

From the other direction, Chouji and Sai were walking towards the class after their make up exams.

"Damn! I hate physics." Chouji groaned and stretched his arms like he had been doing a hard work.

"I only studied the handouts. At that time, it seemed enough. But I didn't expect the teacher to be so cruel to give a completely different set of questions." Sai complained.

Then he noticed Sasuke and Kabuto were walking in front of them. He was about to call him when Kabuto realized that they were being seen and he practically dragged Sasuke to walk faster. Sasuke himself was unaware of Sai and Chouji.

"Hurry up. It's urgent." Kabuto urged him to walk faster. They arrived at an abandoned alley behind the gym. There, a few other seniors were waiting. He pushed Sasuke forward and adjusted his glasses.

"It's too bad you weren't with Naruto and his underlings. When you were alone, you don't know who might jump on you." Kabuto smirked.

Sasuke just stared at them with no expression.

-TBC-

* * *

**Ah, my first cliffhanger. Yay! Hehehehe…Next chapter will be the last sob I have to say goodbye to this story sooner than I expected…**

Anyway, **review please!!** Thanks :D


	6. Chapter 6

_Thoughts_

"Conversation"

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**AN: This is it…The moment we're waiting for, the final chapter of Hatsukoi Elegy. I thanked you for all the reviews I received. They are really great and helpful. I'm really glad that you all like my works. You all make me feel more confident in writing this story. I thank you once again. And for those who expected another ending, I'm afraid that I can't fulfil your request because my class has started so I don't think I have time to write it. I know I'm a lazy bum. I'm so sorry (T,T)**

**Anyway, enough for the dramatic section, let's go on with the story.**

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"You are too careless, Sasuke. Naruto and his underlings are always around you. And yet, we managed to lure you here." Kabuto smirked. He had waited long for this opportunity to arrive. Ever since he laid his eyes on Sasuke, he had always wanted to taste him. The other seniors, Sakon, Ukon, Kimimaro and Suigetsu had already surrounded Sasuke in every direction so he couldn't escape.

"What do you want? Where's Neji senpai?" Sasuke's voice didn't betray any emotion.

"You really thought that Neji called you here? You didn't even know who tricked you here." Kabuto laughed at Sasuke's naiveté's or dare we say, stupidity.

"Hn. Of course I do, **Ka-bu-to senpai**. You are in third year class C." Sasuke stressed Kabuto's name. He then pointed at Sakon and Ukon.

"Same year, class C, Sakon and Ukon senpai." He moved his finger to Kimimaro and Suigetsu.

"Class D, Suigetsu senpai, and class A, Kimimaro senpai. Am I right?"

Surprised looks were crafted on the seniors' faces. Sasuke smirked at the reaction.

"I have the entire whole directory memorized. What do you want from me MISTER SENPAIS?"

Sakon and Ukon looked a little bit intimidated by Sasuke.

"Too bad you don't even look scared. We might take pity on you and let you go." Sakon said this to hide his uneasiness under Sasuke's stare.

Kabuto was the only one who seemed to overcome his nervousness and quickly grabbed Sasuke's wrist from behind, making Sasuke turned around and glared at him.

"We just want to play with you for a bit." Kabuto whispered huskily near his ears, alerting Sasuke.

"GET THE CAMERA READY!" Kabuto yelled at Ukon who stood there like a statue. Ukon came to his sense when he heard the yell and he went to get the camera.

Sasuke didn't show any sign of fear through the whole thing. _Sai and Chouji should have notified Naruto already. I'll just stall in the mean time. Not that I can't handle these losers. But I need to prove something._

* * *

However, his plan had to change when he felt Kabuto's other hand slowly crawling to his hips. _Oh, no you don't. No one messes with an Uchiha!!_

In the mean time, Neji, Naruto, Kiba and Shika were in the office, finishing every report so they could enjoy their holiday without any disruption. Naruto could already imagine the romantic Christmas he planned to spend with his beloved Sasuke. Neji also started to daydream about his romantic getaway with Gaara this Christmas. He already booked two tickets to Hokkaido to spend Christmas and New Years so they won't be disturbed by Gaara's annoying brother.

Shikamaru and Kiba were left to do everything for their lovesick Pres and VP. Well, to be precise, it's only Kiba who did the work, because Shikamaru was already in his own lala land. Kiba grumbled; he already accepted his fates that he was working under a stupid lovesick dono and his lazy ass partner, but hey, a guy still can complain, right?

The sound of Naruto's ringtones woke everyone out of their slumber, well basically, one slumber and two daydreams.

Annoyed because someone disturbed him from his fantasies, Naruto abruptly picked up the phone.

"What! Oh?"

"I think they took him behind the gym. Sorry, I couldn't find out for sure." Sai informed Naruto.

"It's alright. I'll go there and check. You guys just concentrate on your exams. Everything will be alright." With that, Naruto hung up. He moved towards the window, opened it, and prepared to jump down. Before Shikamaru could warn him that Neji was in the room, Naruto already jumped and landed safely. Neji, who thought that Naruto wanted to commit suicide, stared at Naruto's retreating back in disbelief. _Naruto…fourth floor…jumped…suicide…unsuccessfully._

This thought is repeated in his head. He stood there dumbfounded.

"We should follow him…"Kiba said worriedly.

"Don't worry, Kiba. Sasuke can handle it." Shika said in a bored tone.

"The problem at hand is Pres." He pointed at the stoned figure near the window. Kiba panicked and tried to explain things to Neji.

_I'm more concerned about Sasuke's opponents_. Shika thought before he helped Kiba with the explanation.

* * *

Naruto ran as fast as he could. He was really worried. _Please don't let anything bad happen to him_. Naruto prayed.

When he was around the corner, he shouted, hoped that the attackers would stop whatever they were doing to Sasuke.

"SASUKE!"

When he arrived, to his relief, Sasuke was alright. But his attackers were not. Sitting on a pile of what looked like the human body, Sasuke just looked at Naruto.

"Hn."

"Er…I heard from Sai a third year dragged you away. Is…everything alright?" Naruto fluttered his hands when he spoke.

"…Me or them?"

Naruto looked at the pile and sweatdropped. He could hear moans and groans coming from the defeated seniors. He really felt pity on them. _Note to the self, never ever EVER made Sasuke angry if you don't want to end up like that._

Sasuke stood up, patting his pants and sighed. "I was hoping to see you in action. But I got impatient."

Sasuke just walked away without waiting for Naruto. He's sure that Naruto would follow him. He was right. Naruto immediately turned around and walked beside him.

"Too fast." Sasuke said after a while.

"Huh?" Naruto stared at him questioningly.

"Weren't you in the Student Council's office? You made it here too fast." Sasuke turned around and stared.

"No kidding…I was running for my life, worrying about you." Naruto pouted because Sasuke seemed not to appreciate his effort.

"Yet, you aren't even out of your breath." Sasuke pushed.

_Shit_. Naruto realized his mistakes and quickly covered it up.

"Ahahaha…I'm a marathon champion twice. Don't you know?" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, laughing nervously. To add more effect, he put on innocent puppy look on his face.

Sasuke didn't seem to buy it. He just glared at Naruto.

"How long…do you plan hiding from me?" Sasuke practically growled, you can sense hurt in his voice.

"You don't think I know? Do you think I'm that oblivious?" Sasuke asked again.

"What are you talking about, teme? I don't understand, but anyway, this Christmas, let's…" Naruto still feigned innocent. He started to get a little bit panic because Sasuke knew. Before he can finish his sentence, Sasuke yelled.

"AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU TO ACKNOWLEDGE ME?!" Sasuke didn't even try to cover the hurt laced in his voice anymore.

"I NEVER SAID THAT!" Naruto shouted.

"You always pretend to be a klutz, an ignorant outsider. Do you think I'm stupid? You think it's funny!?"

"I never thought it that way!"

"Then why don't you acknowledge me? Why did you lie to me?! Why did you call me here if you wanted to hide?!" Sasuke almost cried but he held back. _Uchihas don't cry!_ He stubbornly reminded himself.

Naruto was stunned at Sasuke's outburst. He never knew that his actions could hurt Sasuke this much.

_I hid because I wanted us to meet like a normal couple. _

"I…I wanted to show you the outside world. I wanted you to want me as a person." _Because your true feelings are important to me._ Naruto was at the verge of tears but he still refused to let it fell.

Sasuke stared at him, unable to process Naruto's statement. He then covered his face with his hands, tried to stop himself from crying.

"Heck?! Why didn't you just order me?!"

Naruto clenched his fist. He was really upset because Sasuke didn't seem to understand his feelings. Finally, His resolves crumbled. His tears dripped off his eyes.

"I only want you to love me on your own. I don't want to command you!"

Sasuke was shocked to see Naruto crying. He felt really hurt when he saw the tears.

"Why the hell are you crying?!" Sasuke shouted.

"Because you don't understand me!!" Naruto shouted back.

"Sasuke you bastard! How could I say, 'I command you to love me'?! Would you trust someone issuing that command?!" Naruto rubbed his eyes to try to stop the tears.

Sasuke felt a tug and warm in his heart at the same time. Tug because Naruto was still crying. Warm because Naruto really cared about him.

"Acknowledge me!"

"No!" Naruto said stubbornly.

"You are putting me on a spot…If my number-one person isn't the Fox Lord…" Sasuke covered his face with his hands to hide his embarrassment for revealing his emotions.

Naruto just stared at Sasuke. He sniffled, now that his tears had stopped.

"You mean…'Naruto' being your number one person is putting you on spot?"

"I-I never said that." You can notice a slight tinge of pink on Sasuke's cheek when he denied it.

"…It sounds like a love confession!"

"IT'S NOT! USURATONKACHI!" Sasuke shouted to hide his embarrassment.

With that statement, Naruto changed to his bright self again, sunny smile on his face.

"Oh yes, it was." Naruto said lovingly, imagining what they would do since now they were official.

"WIPE THAT STUPID LOOK ON YOUR FACE! I already told you it's not a love confession!" Sasuke's voice was tuned out, but he didn't care. He just continued to snarl.

"YOU'RE NOT WHAT I IMAGINED! YOUR BLOND UNRULY HAIR! YOU'RE CHILDISH! IMMATURE! PRACTICALLY A DOBE!!" Each word Sasuke uttered stabbed Naruto. He now sulked because Sasuke didn't seem to accept his physical appearance._ I can't help it. I look more like my mother_.

"Totally different…" Sasuke mumbled to himself. _From what I imagined. Indeed I keep telling myself. This dobe can't be the next Fox Lord._

"Yet…" _Was our relationships based on lies?_ "Everything you said and did for me, I really want it to be the truth. Why is that? I'm so confused. Do I really want you to be my Fox Lord? Or not?"

Naruto was really rendered speechless by Sasuke's confession. He then smiled warmly and hugged Sasuke tightly. Sasuke's eyes widen for a second, and then he hugged back. _I don't dislike this. In fact, I think I enjoy this more than I imagined I would._

"I am who I am." Naruto said tenderly. He brushed the raven's hair lovingly, kissing his forehead. Then he cupped his face and leaned in for a kiss. The first kiss they shared as a couple. Sasuke closed his eyes when Naruto was an inch closer to his face. Then, lips met lips. It only lasted for a few seconds because Sasuke broke the kiss first.

"Eh? Teme? What's wrong?"

Sasuke didn't answer. He just stared at him.

"Oh well. Let's go." Naruto dismissed it because he assumed that Sasuke might be embarrassed or something. He turned to walk towards the school building when Sasuke called him.

"Oi, dobe. During the holidays, would you come and meet my parents?"

"Huh? OH! Are we getting married after high school? Wow, teme, never knew you are the type that moves fast."

"You wish. I need you to sign off the mission."

"Tck, just like that, you were back to normal again."

"Hn."

"By the way, did you know me…before I came to this school?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke and sighed.

"You totally forgot. We used to play together." Naruto said with a nostalgic look on his face.

* * *

**-Flashback-**

Little Sasuke was at the river, playing with water, while little Naruto sat on a tree branch, looking down at Sasuke. Both of them were wearing yukata.

"I want to become strong so I can serve my Fox Lord. I want Fox Lord to like me." Little Sasuke said.

Naruto smiled and inwardly squealed at Sasuke's cuteness. Then he jumped down and approached Sasuke to tell him that he was his Fox Lord. However, just as Naruto wanted to show his Light Blue Hook that identified him as the successor of Fox Lord, the current Fox Lord a.k.a Naruto's father passed by.

Sasuke was dazed by the beauty of Naruto's father and his eyes turned into love shapes.

"I saw the current Fox Lord…So beautiful…Long black hair…My Fox Lord must look like him…" Sasuke said in an admiration voice. Naruto who saw Sasuke's admiration expression, was too dumbfounded to show his Light Blue Hook.

**-End of Flashback-**

"I was too embarrassed to show you my hook, because you only saw my Dad." Naruto said, sulking as he remembered the resentment he felt for his physical looks for the first time as he was a very confident child since he was young.

"Hn. That was a long time ago. I didn't even recall anything." Was Sasuke's response to Naruto's story. Inwardly, he felt embarrassed for the fact that he acted like that in front of the dobe.

"Come to think of it, isn't Namikaze your mother's surname before she was married to your dad? Hn, you really are a dobe. It's so obvious." Sasuke didn't realize that he took a long time to figure this out. Curse the Uchiha pride.

"Teme! You should talk. You didn't even bother to change your name."

"Hn. Uchihas don't hide from anything." Sasuke said a-matter-of-factly.

Their bickering came to stop when they heard a very familiar voice.

"I see that you never change, Naruto." Naruto swallowed and turned around to the source of the voice. Sasuke followed Naruto's vision and gasped. A beautiful figure with long black silky hair and red eyes stood before them and smiled.

"Fox Lord!" Then he also noticed another figure standing behind the said Lord. "Father!"

Naruto noticed Sasuke's dumbstruck expression when he saw Naruto's dad and scowled.

"History repeats itself." Naruto mumbled but loud enough for Sasuke to hear. But, he just ignored it. He was too excited to meet the Fox Lord that his heart thumped faster and faster. He kneeled down to show his respect to the Lord.

"Your Highness looks exactly the same as I remembered."

"Oh, no need to be so formal, Sasuke. I'm sorry my baka son made you go through this ordeal. This school is closely connected to the Uzumaki tribe. Moreover, it was Naruto's idea to meet you this way." Kyuubi, the current Fox Lord, told Sasuke. Hearing this, Sasuke turned around and glared at Naruto.

"Only you could come up with this stupid idea." Sasuke hissed.

Naruto pouted at Sasuke's accusation. "Hmph. Who said this was stupid, teme?!"

Kyuubi continued with his explanation, immediately stopping Sasuke and Naruto's bickering.

"Although Naruto came up with the idea, I was the one who asked Fugaku to issue this mission. I wanted you to judge if your future leader is befitting to be the next chief. So, do you think he is good enough?" Kyuubi explained.

"Pardon my forwardness, he indeed excels in leadership and is well-respected, yet sometimes he abuses his power for personal reasons…" Sasuke said. Naruto just grinned when he heard this, while Kyuubi laughed. Fugaku, on the other hand, was shocked at Sasuke's forwardness.

"Sasuke!" Fugaku warned.

"Hahaha…It's alright, Fugaku." Kyuubi chuckled at Sasuke's report.

"Sasuke, you have accomplished your mission. After the end of term ceremony, return to the village with me." Fugaku said.

Sasuke remained silent. Then he turned to look at Naruto. Naruto just smiled, as if to encourage Sasuke to say what's on his mind. Sasuke took hold of Naruto's hand and shifted his gaze back to his father and said.

"Father, I…I want to stay." Sasuke said, although inside he was scared shitless.

Fugaku and Kyuubi were surprised with Sasuke's request. Naruto just continued to smile, as if he already knew that Sasuke would say that.

"Per Naruto's order?" Kyuubi asked.

"No." Sasuke said. Kyuubi stared at Sasuke for a while and chuckled.

"Then, are you both getting married after graduation?" Kyuubi couldn't help but teased.

"NO!"

"YES!"

Sasuke and Naruto shouted at the same time, but you could notice a blush on Sasuke's pale skin. Naruto was clasping his hands with his teme's hand, smiling so brightly.

"My Lord, you…Father!" Sasuke tried to ask for help from his father but Fugaku just turned around, sighing and pretending not to hear anything.

"That's great. You have chosen Naruto on your own." Kyuubi said with a warm look on his face.

"Don't worry, teme. I'll be a good son-in-law. I told you before that men couple can adopt children." Naruto winked. Sasuke shuddered when he remembered Naruto's confession not so long ago.

"You…Are you aware of your duty as the chief of Uzumaki tribe?" Sasuke grabbed Naruto's collar and shook him back and forth.

Naruto's smile never faltered. "Calm down, teme. Once I become the chief, I'm abolishing feudalism."

Before Sasuke could say anything, Kyuubi decided to help his son with another explanation.

"400 years has passed since the Uzumaki tribe saved the Uchiha clan during the ninja war. All these years, the Uchiha clan has dedicated themselves to us. As the chief of Uzumaki, I don't know how to thank you enough."

"Why thank us? We did it out of our free will!" Sasuke tried to change his mind.

"And it's time we do it on our free will too." Kyuubi's statement made Sasuke speechless. Yet, he didn't seem to be satisfied with it but he decided to let it go, for now.

"Well, we need to head back to the village before it gets too dark. See you around Sasuke. Oh, and Naruto, don't cause too much trouble." Kyuubi said.

"Yes, my Lord."

"What?! Just so you know, I never caused any trouble so far, you old man!" Naruto snarled. Apparently, Naruto still found it hard to forget all the troubles his old man caused for him and Sasuke because of his physical looks. Kyuubi just smiled and moved to ruffle Naruto's unruly hair which made it more unruly (if that's possible).

With that, Kyuubi and Fugaku departed.

* * *

"Is this really fine?" Fugaku asked as he and Kyuubi jumped from trees to trees.

"Why do you ask?"

"Your bloodlines will stop in this generation. Naruto is your only child. I still have Itachi. What will your ancestors say?"

"Hahaha, are you afraid they'll come haunt me from their graves?" Fugaku remained silent.

"If they really come back, will you protect me?"

"Of course." Fugaku didn't hesitate to answer.

They didn't say anything else after that.

* * *

Sasuke was still feeling the after effect of the meeting.

"My brain is still in a muddle. Everything happened so quickly." Sasuke admitted. He still couldn't believe he just met the current Fox Lord and that his mission was completed.

"Hahaha. Sorry I took the liberty of making decisions. From now on, I won't issue anymore orders. Only give out options." Naruto said sincerely.

"By the way, who attacked us on the rooftop that day?" Sasuke had a curious look on his face.

"That would be Shikamaru. He's my bodyguard and my tutor. He wanted to test you. I guess you could say that he's like the nosy mother-in-law since he was always with me since we were very young."

Sasuke couldn't believe it. _Who knew the lazy bum was actually a very good ninja._

"Anyhow, the Fox Lord hasn't changed at all. He's still so striking." Sasuke said with adoration laced in his voice.

Naruto pouted when he heard this. "I can't help it. I look like my mom. She's a great beauty." (Ever wonder who his mother is?)

Sasuke looked amused. "So, it really bothered you that you don't look like your dad?"

"What do you think?!" Naruto's vein popped on his head.

"You said 'history repeats itself', did you mean my crush toward the Fox Lord?"

"I didn't know you heard that. Yes, in a way." Naruto pretended to sound mad.

"Hn. You don't trust me, dobe?" Naruto sighed.

"I do, Sasuke. But I don't have any self confidence where you're concerned."

Sasuke's eyes softened when he heard this. The fact is that he felt so warm inside ever since he heard that Naruto was willing to go this far just for his love. He never felt so wanted before. His father always demanded perfection from him. He never met someone like Naruto who liked him for him.

"Baka." The tone in his voice didn't have any malice in it.

"Maybe, but I'm also faithful." Naruto turned to look at Sasuke and smiled.

"Baka." This time Sasuke replied the smile. Naruto was stunned by the rare smile that graced Sasuke's face. He felt so touched that Sasuke was willing to trust him enough to let him see the gentle side of him.

"Anyway, that was the first time I talked back to my father. My hands are still shaking." Sasuke looked at his trembling hands.

"But that makes me so happy." Naruto smiled so wide that people might think he had broken his jaw.

"I thought I had self control. I guess I discovered a different side of me."

Naruto interlaced his fingers with Sasuke's and said with a very gentle voice and warm gaze towards the raven.

"Like you have seen a new side of the world, right? It's called hatsu-koi (first love)."

_First Love._ Sasuke locked his eyes to Naruto's. They drew closer until their nose touched. Then, Naruto captured Sasuke's lips in a kiss. Sasuke closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of Naruto's soft lips against his own.

* * *

**Kiss goodbye our old selves who were ignorant to the bitter sweetness of the elegy of love.**

They kissed until the need for air became too much and then they broke the kiss. Naruto's forehead was still attached to Sasuke's and they smiled to each other.

"What if I didn't choose you? What would you have done?" Naruto shifted his gaze to his right.

"Well…Upon becoming chief, I'll order the two tribes to become one." Sasuke sighed. He just knew Naruto would do this.

"Dobe."

"Teme."

Then they laughed.

-FIN-

* * *

**What can I say? I finally finished it!! Yay for me!! If you would kindly review for this chapter, I would really appreciate it :D**


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